i PROTEGHING OURHEAIGKE PCs Contribute To Biological Weapons Research (NAPSA)—If you have a computer, at homeorat theoffice, you can contribute to the ongoingfight against bio-terrorism. All you have to do is download a free, non-intrusive software application—much like a screen saver. Then, when the computeris idle, the program will work to uncover small-molecule drug candidates to fight the post-exposure efcts of potential biological weapons, including anthrax and smallpox. Participants don’t even have to be connected to the Internet to donate their computer time. In return, they receive down-to-earth visual explanations that demonstrate the progress in the fight against exposure to biological weapons—for which there are currently no cures. This privately funded project, known as the Drug Design and Optimization Lab (D2OL), is designed to use emerging distributed computing technology to help reduce public anxiety surrounding biological weapons. The project was developed by Sengent, Inc., an emerging leader in computing and information solutions for the scientific and financial communities. The companyis also teaming with Sun Microsystems in the effort to rapidly accelerate identification of drugs against biological weapons. The D20L will leverage current libraries of more than two million small-molecule compounds. Its focus is to test against real compounds that can be readily tested in a lab once identified by the analysis process as showingsignificant promise. That’s where your computer comes in—the work is distributed among many processors to, hopefully, speed the discov- By downloading a simple,free computer program, you can help fight bio-terrorism. ery of potential cures. Presently, Sengent is experiencing peak downloads of one per minute. “The realistic threat of biological weapons andbio-terrorism increases the urgency in advancing structure-based design technology. Bacterial pathogens selected or bred as biological weaponskill in difrent ways. Most antibiotics are completely inefctive against weaponized bacteria once an individual has been exposed,” explains Doug Nassaur, Sengent Chief Operating Officer. “A small-molecule drug can neutralize a toxin that may have been produced by a bacteria in the same way antidotes are used to neutralize the efct of snakebites.” The Drug Design and Optimization Lab was established to expedite and lower the cost of identifying drugs capable of addressing general health issues. This initiative signifies a major advance in drug discovery by focusing “distributed technology” to optimize the testing of real chemical compounds more quickly and efctively to rapidly combat biological threats. To download and learn more, visit the Web site at www. sengent.com.
