Over the Christmas break, the EC published a number of articles showcasing the value of High Performance Computing (HPC). One of them focused on the Biomedical Research Foundation of the Academy of Athens’ use of HPC in relation to drug development.
The Greek Research Foundation’s experts use HPC services to investigate how mutations in proteins can lead to cancer. They are therefore able to identify cavities on proteins where small molecules can bind, and design candidate drugs accordingly.
Using HPC systems and especially having access to the Partnership for Advanced Computing in Europe (PRACE) will enable the Research Foundation to map the full dynamics of PI3Ka, which is a commonly mutated protein in cancer, and use this information for developing new drugs against the mutation.
Background
The PRACE project was established in May 2010 as a permanent pan-European High-Performance Computing service providing world-class systems for world-class science. The activities are designed to increase Europe's research and innovation potential.
The article published by the Commission on 20 December entitled “High Performance Computing: the cornerstone for developing new drugs” is available here.
