by Dr. John Wagner, Manager, IBM Research Collaboratory for Life Sciences–Melboune
We live in an increasingly interconnected world where information, goods and people flow between geographical regions with unprecedented porosity. As what is essentially a packet of biochemical information, viruses are no different; with today’s ubiquity of cross-border transportation, their transmission can take place faster over a greater area than ever before. Unlocking the mechanisms of these viruses is of growing importance for both human wellbeing and our global connectivity.
Even an illness like the common cold has widespread health and social impacts. Indeed, the Human Rhinovirus (HRV), the most frequent cause of colds, is believed to exacerbate asthma in about 70 percent of cases; and in Australia alone, the common cold costs employers around 1.5 million workdays, or $600m in lost productivity per year.
Cut away view of the common cold virus. Credit: University of Melbourne
Yet despite selling more than $250m worth of remedies in Australia every year, we still know relatively little about the viruses responsible. By applying high performance computing (HPC) to antiviral research, we hope to not only devise more effective treatments but also set a new benchmark for understanding diseases.
In conjunction with researchers at the IBM Research Collaboratory for Life Sciences–Melbourne, scientists from St. Vincent’s Institute of Medical Research and the University of Melbourne are now using IBM supercomputing technology to simulate the common cold at the molecular level. With the aid of the Victorian Life Sciences Computation Initiative’s (VLSCI) new IBM Blue Gene/Q supercomputer, these researchers are working to build a fully atomistic, three-dimensional simulation of HRV. As far as we know, these calculations are the first to include not only the 3 million plus atoms of the rhinovirus capsid—or outer shell—and their aqueous environment, but also the virus’ RNA genome, that packet of genetic information necessary for the virus to replicate.
The inclusion of the genome in simulations is critical to the studies, as it affects both the stability of the capsid and the binding of potential drugs. This will allow researchers to gain a more precise picture of how a drug attacks rhinovirus at the molecular level, and potentially lead to future treatments for other viruses as well. However, doing so requires vast amounts of processing power not previously available to researchers in Australia. The VLSCI’s IBM Blue Gene/Q supercomputer is ranked as the 31st-most powerful supercomputer in the world, and the fastest not only in Australia but also in the southern hemisphere. Available to life sciences researchers across Victoria, the supercomputer is being used to address a wide range of human diseases beyond HRV, including epilepsy, cancer, polio and malaria.
The significance of this collaborative research extends far beyond the rhinovirus. It could offer a new path forward in adapting drugs to combat other viruses in the same family. And it could accelerate the science behind treatments of new and emerging viral strains, leveraging expertise from different research fields and researchers trained in multiple disciplines, like those in the IBM Research Collaboratory for Life Sciences—Melbourne. By tackling such viruses with multi-disciplinary and inter-disciplinary collaborations, backed by the most powerful technologies on offer, we hope to achieve insights that will benefit all humankind.
Download an infographic on the common cold here.
See story in the Herald Sun here.
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3:26 pm
[...] more about it in this Smarter Planet blog post by Dr. John Wagner, Manager, IBM Research Collaboratory for Life Sciences-Melbourne, [...]
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[...] “Nothing to sneeze at: IBM supercomputer takes on the common cold” [...]
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7:53 am
[...] “This will allow researchers to gain a more precise picture of how a drug attacks rhinovirus at the molecular level, and potentially lead to future treatments for other viruses,” Dr. John Wagner, the manager of the IBM Research Collaboratory for Life Sciences in Melbourne, Australia, wrote in a blog post today. [...]
Posted by: IBM supercomputer helps wage war on the common cold | Simply Boundless Entertainment
1:25 am
[...] “This will allow researchers to gain a more precise picture of how a drug attacks rhinovirus at the molecular level, and potentially lead to future treatments for other viruses,” Dr. John Wagner, the manager of the IBM Research Collaboratory for Life Sciences in? Melbourne, Australia, wrote in a blog post today. [...]
Posted by: IBM supercomputer helps wage war on the common cold - BizNax
8:02 pm
[...] “This will allow researchers to gain a more precise picture of how a drug attacks rhinovirus at the molecular level, and potentially lead to future treatments for other viruses”, Dr. John Wagner, Manager, IBM Research Collaboratory for Life Sciences in Melboune wrote in a blog post today. [...]
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7:09 pm
[...] “This will allow researchers to gain a more precise picture of how a drug attacks rhinovirus at the molecular level, and potentially lead to future treatments for other viruses”, Dr. John Wagner, Manager, IBM Research Collaboratory for Life Sciences in Melboune wrote in a blog post today. [...]
Posted by: IBM supercomputer is used to wage war on the common cold | VentureBeat
10:45 am
The common cold virus is typically transmitted via airborne droplets (aerosols), direct contact with infected nasal secretions, or fomites (contaminated objects).;….
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This will allow researchers to gain a more precise picture of how a drug http://www.mmogoing.com/ attacks rhinovirus at the molecular level, and potentially lead to future treatments for other viruses
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Posted by: riad luxe marrakech
9:32 am
but non to stop and prevent this cold from happening. We hope that this collaboration will will result to something positive and and a better understanding of this virus.
its comforting to know that they are using new technology to crack the mystery of one of the oldest infection in the world. There is actually no real cure for the common cold, most of the medication available are just supplements to boost our immune system to avoid complication,
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Espically in winter i have such as problem.
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This will allow researchers to gain a more precise picture of how a drug attacks rhinovirus at the molecular level, and potentially lead to future treatments for other viruses,” Dr. John Wagner, the manager of the IBM Research Collaboratory for Life Sciences in Melbourne, Australia, wrote in a blog post today. [...]
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transmission can take place faster over a greater area than ever before. Unlocking the mechanisms of these viruses is of growing importance for both human well being and our global connectivity thank your combination man and machine.
Posted by: mosaddaque
10:41 pm
Wow, this is really exciting. I have always wondered when Supercomputers would be put to use for civilians and better health care innovations. With that said, the commenter named Anthony Jennis has a very interesting point about needing to catch colds to build an immune system and clean your respiratory system. I think there are other things for us to deal with to keep our immune systems strong however. :)
Posted by: Vanessa Prepagos Medellin
6:09 pm
its comforting to know that they are using new technology to crack the mystery of one of the oldest infection in the world. There is actually no real cure for the common cold, most of the medication available are just supplements to boost our immune system to avoid complication, but non to stop and prevent this cold from happening. We hope that this collaboration will will result to something positive and and a better understanding of this virus.
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good article from by Dr. John Wagner, highly detailed
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I really liked this article, really interesting and your point of view is really captivating.
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8:24 pm
Which virus will wipe us all out first? Bird flu, swine flu, something made in a lab?
Posted by: Damien
7:36 pm
We the human beings are strong in certain aspects but we have many weaknesses against creatures insicnificantes as the viruses. It is difficult to control and I was not imagining the big wasting time, work and money that this one causes. If there were doing proposals in which a plan of monthly vaccination was included for the population or something similar would be fantastic.
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11:56 am
Another question to possibly help with understanding a cure for HRV that could be factored into later research simulations:
Why do large amounts of Vitamin C (4000mG/day) at the onset of a sore throat seem to stop the virus for me >90% of the time? However, the same dosage does not always work for other members of my family.
Posted by: Pete Thomsen
5:52 pm
Wow, this is really exciting. I have always wondered when Supercomputers would be put to use for civilians and better health care innovations. With that said, the commenter named Anthony Jennis has a very interesting point about needing to catch colds to build an immune system and clean your respiratory system. I think there are other things for us to deal with to keep our immune systems strong however. :)
Posted by: Health Advocate
9:18 am
Has anybody considered the implications of us NOT catching colds ? There are so many variations of the virus that perhaps we are designed to catch them on a regular basis through our lifespan as a cleaning mechanism for the respiratory system.
Posted by: Anthony Jennis
4:02 pm
Dr. Wagner–You did a yeoman’s job of clearly explaining your very significant project and its importance to mankind. Awesome!
Thank you.
Posted by: Molly Brudnick