Tuberculosis Study Launched, Powered By Citizen Scientists on IBM s World Community Grid
24/03/2016
Launched today, the new "Help Stop TB" project on IBM World Community Grid will model aspects of the behavior of tuberculosis bacteria to better understand its potential vulnerabilities that new medicines may one day exploit. Volunteers will make the processing power on their devices available, when otherwise not being used, to perform the millions of calculations necessary for these simulations. Crowdsourcing a virtual supercomputer in this manner to study the disease will provide results significantly faster and achieve greater results than relying on conventional computational resources typically available to researchers.
Tuberculosis (TB) has plagued humans for thousands of years. Approximately one third of the globe's human population harbors TB today and 1.5 million people died from it in 2014, prompting the World Health Organization to rank TB alongside HIV as the world's deadliest infectious disease.
Dr. Anna Croft, lead researcher of the Help Stop TB project and Associate Professor, Faculty of Engineering at the University of Nottingham in the UK, says that "TB is one of the world deadliest infectious diseases, along with HIV, and one third of the world s population harbors the TB bacterium. My team will use World Community Grid to help science better understand the TB bacterium, so we can develop more effective treatments, and eventually eradicate this threat to human health."
Although several drugs and a partially effective vaccine have been developed to help combat TB, the TB bacterium can evolve to resist available medicine, particularly when patients interrupt or discontinue treatment, which often occurs when they do not have consistent access to medications and medical care. Nearly half of European cases are now resistant to at least one drug, and 4% of all cases worldwide are resistant to treatment regimens that combine drugs. HIV patients with weakened immune systems are especially vulnerable to TB.
Tuberculosis can be a slow killer, often dormant for long periods of time before exploiting poor nutrition, old age or a weakened immune system to become active. It is most often spread through the air when an infected person coughs, sneezes, laughs or even talks. Symptoms can start with cough, weight loss, and fever, developing into breathing difficulties and violent coughs that bring up blood. Initially residing in the lungs, it can spread to, and cripple, other organs.
The tuberculosis bacterium has a coating which shields it from many drugs and the patient's immune system. Among the fats, sugars and proteins in this coat are fatty molecules called mycolic acids. The Help Stop TB project will use the computing power donated by World Community Grid members to simulate the behavior and chemical properties of mycolic acids to better understand how they protect the TB bacteria. Scientists hope to use the results to eventually develop better treatments for this deadly disease, particularly those that evade TB cell wall defenses.
World Community Grid was created in 2004 by IBM as part of its citizenship program focused on innovation. Hosted on IBM s SoftLayer cloud technology, World Community Grid facilitates massive amounts of completely free computing power for scientists by harnessing the surplus cycle time of volunteers computers and Android devices from all over the globe. The combined power available on World Community Grid has created one of the most powerful and fastest virtual supercomputers on the planet.
"Thanks to World Community Grid s massive computational power, we can study many different mycolic acid structures instead of just a few," says Dr. Croft. "This type of analysis at this scale would otherwise be impossible."
More than three million computers and mobile devices used by nearly three quarters of one million people globally and 470 institutions from 80 countries have contributed virtual supercomputing power that have fueled more than two-dozens vitally important projects on World Community Grid over the last 11 years. Since the program s inception, World Community Grid has enabled important scientific advances in areas such as cancer research, AIDS treatments, genetic mapping, solar energy and ecosystem preservation. Many of these efforts might not have even been attempted without the free supercomputing power provided by IBM s World Community Grid. World Community Grid is enabled by Berkeley Open Infrastructure for Network Computing (BOINC), an open source platform developed at the University of California, Berkeley and with support from the National Science Foundation.
Volunteers can help stop TB by joining World Community Grid. IBM also invites researchers to submit research project proposals to receive this free resource, and encourages members of the public to donate their unused computing power to these efforts at worldcommunitygrid.org. For more information about IBM s philanthropic efforts, please visit www.citizenIBM.com or follow @CitizenIBM on Twitter. And for up to the minute media alerts about University of Nottingham, follow @UoNPressOffice on Twitter.
The University of Nottingham has 43,000 students and is the nearest Britain has to a truly global university, with a distinct approach to internationalization, which rests on those full-scale campuses in China and Malaysia, as well as a large presence in its home city.' (Times Good University Guide 2016). It is also one of the most popular universities in the UK among graduate employers and the winner of Outstanding
Most recent headlines
04/08/2024
Dalet Appoints Santiago Solanas as CEO to Lead Next Era of Growth and Innovation
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, is excited to announce Santiago Solanas as its new Chief Executive Officer (CEO)....
03/06/2024
Dalet and Veritone Reach Agreement to Distribute, Transact and Monetize Media Archives
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, a...
30/04/2024
The Anchor of Our Work at the Native Lab: A Dispatch from Adam Piron
By Adam Piron In anticipation of this edition of the Indigenous Program's Native Lab, it actually dawned on me that this will be our lab's tenth year i...
30/04/2024
Launch of SBS South Asian channel and SBS Spice, a new English language offering for younger South Asian Australians
Launch of SBS South Asian channel and SBS Spice, a new English language offering...
30/04/2024
lodie Ichter Joins Light Iron as Senior Colorist
LOS ANGELES (April 30, 2024) Light Iron, the post-production creative-services division of Panavision, is excited to announce that lodie Ichter has joined th...
30/04/2024
Breadth of Support
Now streaming on Netflix, Good Grief marks the feature-film directorial debut of Daniel Levy, well known as the co-creator and costar of the series Schitt's...
30/04/2024
PBS Masterpiece Sets Third TV Adaptation Of The Forsyte Saga'
The Forsyte Saga, John Galsworthy's sweeping portrait of a wealthy British family in 1880s London, is getting its third TV adaptation in less than 60 years....
30/04/2024
Clear-Coms Eclipse HX and Agent-IC Technology Illuminate Coverage of Solar Eclipse
eds3_5_jq(document).ready(function($) { $(#eds_sliderM519).chameleonSlider_2_1({...
30/04/2024
Plex Partners with T-Mobile To Grow Connected TV Reach
CAMPBELL, Calif. Streaming media company Plex and T-Mobile will work together to expand T-Mobile's connected TV (CTV) inventory and advance the connection b...
30/04/2024
Roku, iSpot Launch Expanded Streaming Audience Measurement Partnership
SAN JOSE, Calif. & BELLEVUE, Wash. Roku, Inc. has announced an expanded measurement partnership with iSpot.tv, the cross-platform TV measurement company....
30/04/2024
Paramount+ Subs Hit 71M as Revenue Grew by 51% YoY
NEW YORK As Paramount Global wrestled with management turmoil and ongoing negotiations for a proposed merger with Skydance, the company managed to report improv...
30/04/2024
Cobalt Digital Receives Trifecta of Awards at NAB 2024
Cobalt Digital Receives Trifecta of Awards at NAB 2024 Company adds two 2024 NAB Show Product of the Year awards and one Best of Show from TV Tech to long list...
30/04/2024
arkonas BLADE runner IP Audio Engine Receives Best of Sho...
arkona technologies GmbH, provider of IP core infrastructure solutions for top-tier broadcast productions, has announced that its BLADE//runner IP Audio Engine ...
30/04/2024
OpenDrives Joins AWS Partner Network
OpenDrives, Inc., the global provider of software-defined media workflow solutions and data management capabilities, announced today that it has joined the glob...
30/04/2024
dandb group unveils SustainSymphony a ground-breaking clo...
The first norm conform sustainability service dedicated to the needs of the events industry Easy-to-use, intuitive platform for venues, event organisers and su...
30/04/2024
Dejero Smart Blending Technology opens new opportunities...
Dejero GateWay enables Stream7 to create independent internet connectivity at any venue or location, including UK teaching hospital for live streaming of surgic...
30/04/2024
farmerswife and Cirkus to Showcase Cutting-Edge Solutions...
Excitement is building as farmerswife, a leading software provider for resource scheduling, project management, and team collaboration in the media industry, ha...
30/04/2024
XL8 Clears SOC 2 Type II Audit Enhancing Data Security
XL8, a leading deep-tech startup specializing in AI-powered machine translation technology, proudly announces the successful completion of a System and Organiza...
30/04/2024
CABSAT 2024 - Leader and PHABRIX to showcase latest Test...
Test & measurement innovator, Leader Electronics of Europe, has announced that it will exhibit at CABSAT, which takes place this year from 21-23 May 2024 at the...
30/04/2024
MRMC Debuts Cinebot Max Camera Robot at NAB 2024
MRMC Debuts Cinebot Max Camera Robot at NAB 2024 Brie Clayton April 30, 2024 0 Comments Expands its range of live-action, motion-control camera robots...
30/04/2024
Next Jazz Legacy Announces 2024 Cohort of Women and Nonbinary Awardees
Next Jazz Legacy Announces 2024 Cohort of Women and Nonbinary Awardees The program was created by New Music USA and the Berklee Institute of Jazz and Gender J...
30/04/2024
SES Announces Acqusition of Intelsat for $3.1B
European telecom satellite company SES announced today that it is acquiring rival Intelsat for $3.1 billion. The deal, unanimously approved by both companies...
30/04/2024
Bakish Out at Paramount
Bob Bakish, chief executive of Paramount stepped down on Monday, effective immediately. Bakish, who was a staunch ally of Shari Redstone, controlling shareholde...
30/04/2024
Hotspring unveils Slapshot ML-driven rotoscoping solution
Hotspring said the breakthrough had been achieved through the acceleration of machine learning technology By Matthew Corrigan Published: April 30, 2024 Ho...
30/04/2024
SES to acquire Intelsat in $3.1 billion deal
Speaking about the deal, Adel Al-Saleh, CEO of SES, said: it will bring value-added, efficient, and reliable offerings for both companies media customers By Je...
30/04/2024
Bob Bakish officially out at Paramount, new Office of the CEO finalising long-term plan'
Paramount said the Office of the CEO is working with its board to develop a comp...
30/04/2024
Gray Television Using NextGen TV to Roll Out Advanced Features Like HDR
LOUISVILLE, Ky. In another sign that broadcasters are finally using NextGen TV broadcasts to offer viewers new features instead of simply simulcasting existing ...
30/04/2024
Oklahoma Journalism Hall of Fame To Honor Blaise Labbe
OKLAHOMA CITY The Oklahoma Journalism Hall of Fame will induct Blaise Labbe, a group news director for Sinclair Broadcast Group, May 2 at the 54th Anniversary I...
30/04/2024
Cox Media Group, Dish Ink New Multi-Year Agreement
ATLANTA and ENGLEWOOD, Colo. Cox Media Group and Dish have ended a dispute over retransmission fees that lasted nearly a year and a half with a new multi-year ...
30/04/2024
TelevisaUnivision Taps LTN for IP-Based Distribution
Video transport solution provider LTN has announced that it is working with TelevisaUnivision to help the Spanish-language media giant migrate to IP-based video...
30/04/2024
NBC KXAS and Telemundo KXTX Used Clear-Com Solutions for Eclipse Coverage
ALAMEDA, Calif. Clear-Com has released details about how it played a pivotal role in the seamless coverage of the recent solar eclipse on April 8, 2024 by NBC K...
30/04/2024
Scripps Appoints Seth Walters To Steer CTV Sales Strategy
CINCINNATI The E.W. Scripps Company is adding Seth Walters to its sales leadership team as head of CTV sales, effective April 29....
30/04/2024
Durham Bulls Saturday Game, First Sellout of 2024 Season
The force was strong at the Durham Bulls Athletic Park on Saturday night, April 27, 2024, as the night netted the ballpark's first official sellout crowd of...
30/04/2024
NewFront Life Is a Cabaret for LGBTQ+ Network Revry
Revry, a network celebrating queer culture. said its second annual NewFront presentation will be a cabaret-type spectacle showcasing the spirit of the LGBTQ+ co...
30/04/2024
FETV Viewers Say Howdy' as Wyatt Earp' Joins Lineup
Family Entertainment Television (FETV) said that the Western series The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp will be joining the network's afternoon lineup startin...
30/04/2024
Bob Bakish Departing Paramount, According to Reports
Bob Bakish, president and CEO of Paramount Global, will depart the company as Paramount explores a merger, according to numerous published reports. The reports ...
30/04/2024
Tribeca Festival Announces Talks, Reunions & Retrospectives
April 30th, 2024 Press Materials Available Here TRIBECA FESTIVAL 2024 ANNOUNCES TALKS, REUNIONS, & RETROSPECTIVES Live Conversations with Judd Apatow, Andy C...
30/04/2024
Solid momentum into the year for Telenor
6 minute read Share alt=Alternative descriptive text class=lazyload main main-lazyloaded responsive-image data-v-1a5ebb10> Telenor showed good momentum...
30/04/2024
SES Acquiring Intelsat to Create New Satellite Giant; Will Offer Improved Reach and Redundancy for Media Customers
SES Acquiring Intelsat to Create New Satellite Giant; Will Offer Improved Reach ...
30/04/2024
WDR Filmhaus to Implement Riedel Infrastructure
Wuppertal April 30, 2024 WDR Filmhaus to Implement Riedel Infrastructure Award-Winning MediorNet HorizoN Hybrid Processing Platform Serves as Bridge to IP Ri...
30/04/2024
Tilda Swinton Joins Colin Farrell in Edward Berger's 'The Ballad of a Small Player' for Netflix
Back to All News Tilda Swinton Joins Colin Farrell in Edward Bergers The Ballad...
30/04/2024
Netflix Reveals First Look Images and Teaser from 'Senna', Inspired on the Life of Famed F1 Driver
Back to All News Netflix Reveals First Look Images and Teaser from Senna, Inspi...
30/04/2024
Top 10 Week of Apr. 22: Baby Reindeer' and Rebel Moon - Part Two: The Scargiver' Hold Onto the Top Spots
Back to All News Top 10 Week of Apr. 22: Baby Reindeer' and Rebel Moon - ...
30/04/2024
Female Leadership in the Age of AI: United Kingdom
Dr. Nicola Hodson, Chief Executive, IBM UK & Ireland introduces the UK findings of an IBM study on female leadership in the age of AI Advances in Artificial In...
30/04/2024
FOR-As RDS Conductor Wins 2024 NAB Show Product of the Year Award
Channel Expansion, and New Codecs, Compression and Transport Technology Among Latest Updates...
30/04/2024
Accel-KKR Credit Partners Provides Growth Financing to Dalet
Accel-KKR Credit Partners today announced that it has provided debt financing to support Dalet in its next chapter of innovation and growth. Accel-KKR Credit Pa...
30/04/2024
Skeem Saam: Monday's episode, 29 April 2024 [video]
Skeem Saam: Monday's episode, 29 April 2024 [video]Missed an episode of Skeem Saam? No problem! Watch the latest episode of your favourite South African soa...
30/04/2024
Tonight on Skeem Saam: Lewatle witnesses an explosive fight between Sthoko and Babeile
Tonight on Skeem Saam: Lewatle witnesses an explosive fight between Sthoko and B...
30/04/2024
RT NEWS ANNOUNCES DAVID MURPHY AS NEW ECONOMICS & PUBLIC AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT
RT News is pleased to announce the appointment of David Murphy as its new Economics & Public Affairs Correspondent. David is currently RT 's Political Cove...