Is this not what is already being done? The news confused me as it was my understanding that folding was already doing this, was i wrong? Check link for details. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/edinburgh_and_east/8123929.stm
The short answer is no. Folding@Home has actually very little to do with DNA. It's protein folding, namely the proteins that misfold in the human body. F@H simulates the misfolding of different human protiens in different environments. What they seem to want to do with that software is look at genes in DNA, to trace genetic diseases, say a family who has a history of cancer.
As per our mentors at Stanford "Proteins are biology's workhorses -- its "nanomachines." Before proteins can carry out these important functions, they assemble themselves, or "fold." The process of protein folding, while critical and fundamental to virtually all of biology, in many ways remains a mystery" IMHO I guess proteins probably come before DNA hey I am no medical Expert someone probably knows for sure. So if your not in the Team yet download a client and get folding!
According to that BBC report "The new software would allow scientists to access entire networks of computers. It would mean they could analyse large amounts of biological data from one computer without using specialist computing centres." This certainly sounds like a distributed computing project, but we can't tell if they are going to use outside volunteer's computers, or just those within Edinburgh University or elsewhere. Afterthough - If they have DNA and medical data on real people, then it is most unlikely to run on a machine outside the University. Er, no, the DNA is usually considered to come first. In all living things (except viruses) (and I guess I should add 'that we know about'), the DNA is made up of long strings of just 4 different letters (A, C, T, G). Human DNA has about 3 billion letters. These are packaged together in the famous double helix, and then packed even more in all sorts of ways, eventually into chromosomes (Humans have 23 pairs of chromasomes). When cells divided, the DNA is unpacked and copied, with one copy going into each of the new cells. This copying process has lots of 'proof-reading' so is very, very accurate... but now and again a mistake (or mutation) is made - leading to a slightly different string of letters. (Often the mistake is made because the DNA being copied has been damaged in some way - some chemicals and radiation are the major culprits here). The letters of the DNA act as the instruction for the initial assembly of proteins (which are like long strings of a different set of letters) which then has to fold up before it is useful for anything. If there is a mutation in the DNA, then in some cases that can lead to a very slightly different protein, which may fold and behave slighly differently. Sickle Cell Anaemia is caused by one single change, in one single part, of the person's DNA. In some cases there seems to be a link between a particular mutation in DNA, and the chance of developing a particular type of cancer. 'Genes' which we inherit from our parents, are packets of DNA. So children of parents who have a mutation, may also have that mutation. What we are beginning to discover is that the chance of people developing a particular cancer can be an inherited, family trait. One reason this is not an easy area to study is that unlike Sickle Cell Aneamia (and a few other 'single point mutation' diseases) many of the cancers do not a have a single yes/no gene, but (probably) a number of genes, and mutations that only change the chances of developing the cancer. Environment, diet, exposure to some chemicals, and other factors also play a part in why we may or may not develop cancers. Another reason is that the amount of data being examined is enormous, upto 3 billion letters person, for many extended families, looking for a single change that may, or may not, be important. OK, lesson over. Slizza - why aren't you folding?
Fair do's Christopher a very comprehensive answer there you go I knew some one on here would have the answer well done for clearing that up Chap
