Internet-based grid computing
Introduction
There are so many needs in our world, where do we start to help? At a point in everyone's life a particular need, like helping find a cure for cancer, comes into our lives. If but for a fleeting moment. One such moment with me, was though an association with a family centered activity on the internet which was The Site Fights (TSF) which I started to become involved with in 1999. Shortly after joining I found that many of the members had cancer. Then an open letter written by Diana Campbell to all of us.
Diana Campbell's Letter dated October 2000
I have had Stage IV Breast Cancer (metastases to the bones) since Sept. 2000, and was first diagnosed as Stage IIIB in January, 1992. The past decade has been a roller coaster ride and if you, a family member or friend has cancer, then you know what I'm talking about.
I began researching Stage IV Breast Cancer in the summer of 1999 when an X-ray during a checkup showed a suspicious sliver on a back rib. Many months later, this sliver was a huge tumor, but it had previously biopsied negative. I had a feeling something was not right so I began researching. I found there was not as much info on Stage IV as there was on Breast Cancer prevention and awareness as well as early stage, primary diagnosis and treatment.
So I created this website and the associated Survivor webring, email lists, research project and stores. My goal was to provide the information here that we all want to know at this Stage -- mostly associated with what we can do to prolong our lives. I am in the process of updating and adding but I hope this site will be of some help to you. Please join the UD grid too as this project will help speed cancer research and possibly help me and others too very shortly as we cope with stage IV breast cancer.
Diana passed away on February 19, 2003. Within a month of joining Diana's team in December 2000 I found that cancer had vested itself in my frailer human body too.
UD Grid Project
After seven years the UD grid accomplished its goals and remains silent as of Friday April 27, 2007. The research centered on proteins that were been determined to be a possible target for cancer
therapy. Through a process called "virtual screening", special analysis software identified molecules that interacted with these proteins, and determined which of the molecular candidates had a high
likelihood of being developed into a drug. The process is similar to finding the right key to open a special lock — by looking at millions upon millions of molecular keys.
Participants in the Cancer Research Project were sent a ligand library over the Internet. Their PC analyzed the molecules using a docking software called LigandFit by Accelrys. The LigandFit software analyzed the molecular data by using a three-dimensional model to attempt to interact with a protein binding site. When a ligand docked successfully with a protein, the resulting interaction was scored and the interactions that generated the highest scores were recorded and filed for further evaluation.
The initial team which Diana formed began to dwindle as cancer took its ugly toll. Wishing always remember my dear friend and make a contribution, my resources were transferred to the AS! team-CureNow. AS! explored forming another team with broader appeal beyond the very small awards community and one which had the team approach or feeling of a community of interests. Looking at the UD grid web site there are numerous recommendations to keep the memory of Diana alive there are now various Internet-based grid computing schemas available, thanks to the pioneering work of Oxford University and United Devices. In the end we decided on the following.
Participants in the Cancer Research Project were sent a ligand library over the
Internet. Their PC analyzed the molecules using a docking software called LigandFit by Accelrys. The LigandFit software analyzed the molecular data by using a three-dimensional model to attempt to
interact with a protein binding site. When a ligand docked successfully with a protein, the resulting interaction was scored and the interactions that generated the highest scores were recorded and
filed for further evaluation.
The
initial team which Diana formed began to dwindle as cancer took its ugly toll. Wishing always remember my dear friend and make a contribution, my resources were transferred to the AS!
team-CureNow. AS! explored forming another team when the UD Project ceased, with broader appeal beyond the very small awards community and one which had the team approach or feeling
of a community of interests. Looking at the UD grid web site there are numerous recommendations to keep the memory of Diana alive there are now various Internet-based grid computing schemas
available, thanks to the pioneering work of Oxford University and United Devices. In the end we decided on the following.
The World Community Grid software uses the idle time of Internet-connected computers and applies this computing power toward the advancement of humanity. Please join the team Patriots United.
The agent works like a screen saver, only using a computer's resources when it would otherwise be idle and relinquishing the resources back to the users when they start using the computers again. The agent can also be run like an application, always running in the background unless specifically disabled/paused.
While many public computing grids such as SETI@home or Folding@home have been devoted to a single project, the World Community Grid offers multiple humanitarian projects under a single umbrella.
Projects are approved by an advisory board, with members from most of the major research institutions and universities, as well as the UN and WHO.
Within the grid, users may join teams that have been created by organizations, groups, or individuals. Teams allow for a heightened sense of community identity and attempts to inspire competitiveness.
World Community Grid also differs from other grid projects by offering support for more than one grid infrastructure. The open source BOINC client is available for Linux, Windows, and Mac; the proprietary Grid MP from United Devices Inc. is only available for Windows.
A Rationale for Participation In the World Community Grid
Just needed to set the record straight. Many are like yourself. Contributing time and money. But the big difference in those efforts and the grid, is seeing the results develop before your very eyes. The time from identifying a promising protein-protein interaction and useable treatment is now reduced to about one year. Before grid interactions that time was approximately four years. That time difference will mean either life or death to many of us who have cancer.
A Few of Your Questions Answered, below:
The only time the grid server interacts with a local computer is when a new project is downloaded or results are transmitted. This is no difference than applying for Windows Updates or any other update for that matter. A self contained project just works in the background using even those nana seconds between key strokes, which if a computer were used non stop 24 hours, would be approximately 25% of the total time.
What does one download? On the first instance we download the actual program which makes the computations and a "project." Those projects will vary in size and time to complete.
What does it do? The program will compute the probable number of combinations which result in the most favorable inclusion in medicines developed or to be developed. In essence a ranking. Those with the higher scores would be looked at first and so forth.
Does my PC need to be on all the time? Not necessarily. But while it is on the computations continue. When off they cease until the computer is turned on again. You will loose nothing.
Why is my PC power required? Since the program which makes the computations requires computer processing, the use of 1,000 PC's will equal one super computer which would run full time. While our personal computers would only run the computations when they are idle...like in-between key strokes assuming all day long. The idle time is about 25% of the total processing time. Looking at a page, obviously more idle time...smiles.
What do they use our PC's for? Super computers are very expensive and really not that many in the world to run as dedicated problem solvers. So again for every 1,000 individual PC's in the grid, they equal another super computer.
How much of ones bandwidth do they use in a week and month? Since everything other than sending results and receiving a new project would use bandwidth, very little. The rest is locally and does not interfere with what we are doing.
Is the URL you sent the group you belong to? World Community Grid will ask you to select a team. Selecting Patriots United is the team I belong to.