In a research lab at Wake Forest University, biophysicist and computer scientist Samuel Cho uses graphics processing units (GPUs), the technology that makes videogame images so realistic, to simulate the inner workings of human cells.
“If it wasn’t for gamers who kept buying these GPUs, the prices wouldn’t have dropped, and we couldn’t have used them for science,” Cho says.
Now he can see exactly how the cells live, divide and die.
And that, Cho says, opens up possibilities for new targets for tumor-killing drugs.
Cho’s most recent computer simulation, of a critical RNA molecule that is a component of the human telomerase enzyme, for the first time shows hidden states in the folding and unfolding of this molecule, giving scientists a far more accurate view of how it functions. The results of his research appear in the Journal of the American Chemical Society. Cho worked with colleagues from the University of Maryland and Zhejiang University in China for this study.
The human telomerase enzyme is found only in cancerous cells. It adds tiny molecules called telomeres to the ends of DNA strands when cells divide – essentially preventing cells from dying.
“The cell keeps reproducing over and over, and that’s the very definition of cancer,” Cho says. “By knowing how telomerase folds and functions, we provide a new area for researching cancer treatments.”
A new drug would stop the human telomerase enzyme from adding onto the DNA, so the tumor cell dies.
Cho, an assistant professor of physics and computer science, has turned his attention to videogaming technology and the bacterial ribosome – a molecular system 200 times larger than the human telomerase enzyme RNA molecule. His research group has begun to use graphics cards called GPUs to perform these cell simulations, which is much faster than using standard computing.
“We have hijacked this technology to perform simulations very, very quickly on much larger biomolecular systems,” Cho says.
Without the GPUs, Cho estimated it would have taken him more than 40 years to run that simulation. Now, it will take him a few months.
Provided by Wake Forest University
This is a very important achievement for humans, always a medical achievements are important, but this is more important and different because mr Cho had found a new terapy for a very common disease. This terapy for stimulate the cells is very interesting because you can find the technology used in that terapy in a videogame with good images (realistic images).
Mr Cho is a very smart person that helped a lot with this achievement, but we all have to understand that he can’t find and discover all this things without the help give it to him by other person, such as teachers of the university and other scientists
First of all is a very interesting and curious data that videogames are very helpful in science researchment because the techonology that is used on videogames is very useful in investigation, because of this that techonology has to be less expensive, helping in science investigation, so those who buy videogames are very helpful to science. I am very grateful with the scientists that investigated this, it is very important knowing about DNA and enxymes, in this case telomerase, now it will be easier to find a cure, or a least prevent cancer.
It’s interesting to see how human been can get such a helpful and easy cure to such a common and dangerous diseases as cancer. Videogames are the answer for many patients sufering from any type of cancer. Starting from the beginning, cancer is the unnstoppable developpment or repdroduction of human telomerase enzyme cells in the human body.
What I understanded about the cure is that they use a videogame with very realistic graphics or images, and that estimulates de body to like “kill” the cells which produce cancer.
For me is very intresting to find cure for such a dangerous and common disease in such a common and daily used tool as the videogames, this article could change peoples thinking against videogames, they think they destroy uor minds, but we have to use it risponsibly and wisely. Congratulations to Mr. Cho!
This new seemed to me very interesting and yet very important and important becauce Mr. Cho discovered a therapy for a disease quite common.
Seemed to me so important that other doctors, etc. .. will see that if you can discover things for diseases and thus can be motivated to find more therapies or cures for important diseases.
And also I found it interesting because it had found a cure for a common disease.
It’s good to now that there’s been found another treatment for cancer that is a common disease. Mr Cho and company make a very important achievement for human life and for medicine. It’s interesting how cancer its produce because I Think it would help to find another treatments for it.
For me this achievement would change many lifes and also would safe lifes, and would help many doctors that attend cancer.
It’s good to have people like Mr. Cho.
First of all Wow it’s incredible that a scientific with technology jumped out like 40 years of technical advances and that with that the medicine will be more essay to learn and to teach because there you are jumping many spaces to be a doctor and to teach a thing that you can see or practice with it. That scientific is my idol because it not only do the new type of videogames he also do that the science be more essay to all the people that will study it or that will teach it, these is a new era of the informatics and scientific world.
Quite a medical achievement, but i can’t help but wonder how come no one thought about it earlier. Anyhow, this method really will cause an evolution in the development of medical drugs and viral examination, if the proper methods and slight modifications are applied. Another interesting note is that it could lead to the development of a new branch of media display, with increased graphics and more specific upgrades to make the visualization better and more effective.
this is a very interesting and very important. something that I like of this article is that Cho’s most recent computer simulation, of a critical RNA molecule that is a component of the human telomerase enzyme, for the first time shows hidden states in the folding and unfolding of this molecule, giving scientists a far more accurate view of how it functions. The results of his research appear in the Journal of the American Chemical Societ, this is my favorite articles.
I consider that this article must be published in an iternational news paper so aall people know about the greatness of videogames that in time have been so despised; but the bad thing is that mabe will be used as an incentive so many people that played many videogames in the past days may start to play more and stop doing important things in their lives like excercising; it has i double way of vewing but i still think is a good thing.
this articule is very interesting because I never thing that the video games are so important to our lifes, es great that the scientifics can use it to investigations and I thing that the cancer cure is very close
This article was very interesting beacuse this is important for the cure of cancer it is good that the video games help with the cure of cancer beacause a lot of people like to play video games.
Videogames can be helpful for scientists investigation is a very big surprise, bacause most of timer they are considered not so good for people. This is a very great and helpful researched, most of all cancer is one of the diseases more commo in humans beings. It is very interesting to know about these enzymes that are foun only in cancerous cels and over all the capacity of the human being to realize abot that in association with the vdeogames. Ithink that technology and the sciense are in a good way to help and prevention diseases. It is a great notice that videogames are help ful for scientists and the development of his projects in a good way for humanity.
I had never think that videogames can help humans to investigate something, or that it will be so beneficious to science and human. I know that it can be a moment of enterntainment and play with your friends and have some fun. Its so interesting that you can help to control the cancer cells by playing videogames with good graphics and so realistic situations.
This article is very interesting because all the says that the video games are trash, that destroy the brain, but this article shows that they are wrong. Also this article says that the vidiogames treat somthing as important as cancer.
I think this article is very interesting because videogames are so cool and now I know that are more productive and usefull for peaple with cancer… This scientific invention maybe will be one of the most amazing invensions on human history, hwo knows, maybe… Cancer is an serious problem that a lot of people have it..
This article is very interesting beacuase I never thought that video games could be a therapy for diseases such as cancer. I think that Mr.Cho make a great job finding the cure for those diseases. I also think that it will be easier to find a cure, and that Mr. Cho its a very smart person.
profe, por que mi comentario no aparece???
I think the this was a very important achievment for the humans because this could be the solution for the desease like cancer and other deseases that are really bad, because they can make you die if they arent being seen in time, so i think this was a excelente discoverment. Perhaps that know i can play videogames and tell my parents that is the cure of cancer (its jocking Mr Harold hahaha). But i think this could be the start of the new cure of cancer deasease.
Its interesting to see that other inventions of humans such as the video games can be so helpful in this situations. This invention is very curious because it uses a video game with good graphics and so realistic ones that can kill cancer and other diseases. Video games aren´t so bad.
This article shows amazing facts, that I wouldn´t imagine that they could help. Thanks to Cho we know that video games can be a cure for cancer and other diseases. What cures people with this diseases, are the GPU´s or the good graphics, on many good video games. It wouldn´t be it if they wouldn´t know about the critical RNA molecule, that is inside of the human telomesrse enzyme, that is only found in cancerous cells. It adds tiny molecules called telomeres to the ends of DNA strands when cells divide essentially preventing cells from dying. The cell keeps reproducing over and over, and that’s the very definition of cancer. From there they found that the GpU´s could help a lot.
In my opinion Cho is a genius guy and that video games don´t destroy, they construct, and help people with diseases.
I found this article very interesting because this achievement is great for people with this disease. One of the things that I found it very interesting is that thanks to video games they found an easy cure for this very dangerous disease: the cancer. I’ve never would thought that video games would help so much for people with cancer and It’s great that people who have bought video games helped in science. One of the things that more or less I understood about the cure is that they use the images of the video games and that helps to kill the cells which produce cancer. But, in general, this is a very important notice and it’s great that people can be cured of this disease.
Thta’s amazing! I had never thought that something like videgames could help cure a disease like cancer. I think that it’s amazing how people are discovering cure and treatments for very dangerous diseases. Mr. Cho is a genius, he can help cure cancer with something that most people like! Videogames aren’t as bad as some poeple think.
this article seems pretty good, because they use something that is believed to alone to wash brains, video games, but were given a more cientificia utility and allows us to get into medicine for the treatment of cancer and other enfermedads that are very difficult to combat, I think this developer is a genius and that his invention will serve future generations in the fight against cancer and other diseases difficult to treat
this article seems pretty good, because they use something that is believed to alone to wash brains, video games, but were given a more cientificia utility and allows us to get into medicine for the treatment of cancer and other enfermedads that are very difficult to combat, I think this developer is a genius and that his invention will serve future generations in the fight against cancer and other diseases difficult to treat
serve future generations in the fight against cancer and other diseases difficult to treat
this aticle tell mi i the lab at Wake Forest University, biophysicist and computer scientist Mr.cho make videogames can help humans to investigate something,or more inteligent si a benefit to the human ,because you may develop your senses.sake and for society
this aticle tell mi i the lab at Wake Forest University, biophysicist and computer scientist Mr.cho make videogames can help humans to investigate something,or more inteligent si a benefit to the human ,because you may develop your senses.sake and for society and is good to the human lernd
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