Welcome to EAST Class Research page. 

We are currently involved with the Folding at Home project through Stanford University.  Read below for more information and how you can also be involved with our Folding team.

HOW CAN YOU BE INVOLVED WITH CHS EAST RESEARCH?

If you have a PC, Tablet, Cell Phone, or PS3 you have the ability to help with research dedicated to finding a cure for Cancer, Huntington’s, Parkinson’s and other diseases affecting millions of people worldwide.  Simply click on the “Join Our Team” link above to download the folding software.

HOW DOES THIS RESEARCH WORK?

The Folding at Home client is a simple download and install to your device.  Once you install the software the client will automatically start when you power on your device.  The Folding at Home client runs in the background, you won’t even realize it’s working.  You can control simple settings within the software to choose how much resources are allotted to your device.  Stanford University has effectively created a supercomputer by networking every user of the Folding at Home client together.  Everyone contributes work units worldwide.  

WHY “Fold Proteins”?

The DNA in the human body is comprised of millions of proteins, by “Folding” these proteins we are attempting to find combinations that can bond with mutated proteins, effectively stopping future mutations.  This would be very similar to solving a huge jigsaw puzzle with billions of pieces.

HOW DO I START?

If you have any questions about being involved with this project please contact FlemingJ@clintonsd.org or Dunhamc@clintonsd.org for more information including our team number.  Together we can all make a difference!

The Folding@home project (FAH) is dedicated to understanding protein folding, the diseases that result from protein misfolding and aggregation, and novel computational ways to develop new drugs in general. Here, we briefly describe our goals, what we are doing, and some highlights so far.

A distributed computing project must not only run calculations on millions of PCs, but such projects must produce results, especially in the form of peer-reviewed publications, public lectures, and other ways that disseminate the results from FAH to the greater scientific community. In the sidebar, you will find links to our progress in different areas.

You will also find updates about our work, advancements and new projects in the main Folding@home blog.

WHAT IS PROTEIN FOLDING AND HOW IS IT RELATED TO DISEASE?

Proteins are necklaces of amino acids, long chain molecules. They are the basis of how biology gets things done. As enzymes, they are the driving force behind all of the biochemical reactions that make biology work. As structural elements, they are the main constituent of our bones, muscles, hair, skin and blood vessels. As antibodies, they recognize invading elements and allow the immune system to get rid of the unwanted invaders. For these reasons, scientists have sequenced the human genome – the blueprint for all of the proteins in biology – but how can we understand what these proteins do and how they work?

However, only knowing this sequence tells us little about what the protein does and how it does it. In order to carry out their function (e.g. as enzymes or antibodies), they must take on a particular shape, also known as a “fold.” Thus, proteins are truly amazing machines: before they do their work, they assemble themselves! This self-assembly is called “folding.”

WHAT HAPPENS IF PROTEINS DON’T FOLD CORRECTLY?

Diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease, Huntington’s disease, cystic fibrosis, BSE (Mad Cow disease), an inherited form of emphysema, and even many cancers are believed to result from protein misfolding. When proteins misfold, they can clump together (“aggregate”). These clumps can often gather in the brain, where they are believed to cause the symptoms of Mad Cow or Alzheimer’s disease.