Donate your extra processing power to the better of man kind

[jchamb2010]

I've found a simple software that allows computer users/owners to help scientists at Stanford University in their quest to cure diseases by folding proteins.

Well instead of trying to explain it myself I'll post exactly what they have on their homepage.

What is protein folding and how is folding linked to disease?
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.

Moreover, when proteins do not fold correctly (i.e. "misfold"), there can be serious consequences, including many well known diseases, such as Alzheimer's, Mad Cow (BSE), CJD, ALS, Huntington's, Parkinson's disease, and many Cancers and cancer-related syndromes.

You can help by simply running a piece of software.
Folding@home is a distributed computing project -- people from throughout the world download and run software to band together to make one of the largest supercomputers in the world. Every computer takes the project closer to our goals. Folding@home uses novel computational methods coupled to distributed computing, to simulate problems millions of times more challenging than previously achieved.

What have we done so far?
We have had several successes. You can read about them on our Science page, on our Awards page, or go directly to our Results page.

Want to learn more?
Click on the links on the left for downloads or more information. You can also download our Executive Summary, which is a PDF suitable for distribution. Also, you can learn more by watching recent seminars (Stanford BMI ; Xerox PARC). One can also help by donating funds to the project, via Stanford University.

Now all you have to have in order to help with this is a computer (which if your reading this you must) and an internet connection (again you must if your reading this).

This software DOES NOT send any personally identifiable information to Stanford University. The only thing that it sends is the computer Work Unit, and (possibly) your system configuration.

If you are interested in helping by donating your spare CPU power Click Here

If you are interested in helping by donating your spare GPU power Click Here

And if your extremely generous click both of the links above, and install both pieces of software.
If you are worried about system performance don't this software takes the lowest possible priority and will not interfere with web browsing, computer usage, gaming, etc.

Once you install the software and run it for the first time you will be asked for the following information:
Username -> Put your clan nick name here
Team Number -> Put 158083 (which is vBTEAM's team)
Passkey -> Leave blank


If you need help Post here.

 

[blackknights]

Glad to see this posted even if its of the usual topic's. Being from a family that has a few major problems. I have been personally contributing to Folding At Home for over a year via my home Pc as well as my PS3 when not in use. If I may be so bold as to state every one should partake in this as to assist in finding cures to common, but deadly diseases due to if not for someone in your family perhaps in some one you may know.

 

[Grinderhand]

I am a survivor of adrenal cortical cancer, my sister a survivor of liver cancer, and my other sister was taken by colon cancer, so this sounds like a cause near and dear to my heart (and kidney, and spleen, and part of my pancreas). I'm in.

Please join the cause ...it costs you 0.00.

 

[jchamb2010]

I'm glad to hear that some people from the vBTeam community are donating to the better of man kind Just hope that a few more people from the (is it 20K) members here hop on the band wagon and help out.

As Grinderhand said this costs you nothing, but the diseases it will cures cost people their lives every day... Now wouldn't it be a nice feeling to know that you helped cure these diseases?

Again thanks to those who donate