Curing disease while you sleep
The mobile app that’s powering scientific research to help cure disease
Perhaps the only time we don’t touch our smartphones these days is when we are asleep. But even then they could be put to good use. With the breakthrough Power Sleep app, developed by Samsung in collaboration with the University of Vienna, users can “donate” the processing power of their Samsung smartphone to the SIMAP (Similarity Matrix of Proteins) project, which uses this otherwise idle resource to power research calculations that may help to cure diseases like cancer and Alzheimer’s.
Researching how proteins are created while you sleep sounds like a true case of “slacktivism”, in which the indolent can take on causes without compromising their time or putting in any effort. Yet, while it’s slacktivism at one end, the collaboration between the University of Vienna and Samsung Austria is hard work at the other. As one slumbers, a data package no bigger than one megabyte is sent from the SIMAP research lab servers at the University of Vienna to the smartphone, and then returned to the servers once the device has finished the protein data calculations. The sum total of all the calculations by all the participating devices are entered on an open-source database that is made available to the scientific community for research purposes.
The project is based on the University of Berkeley’s Berkeley Open Infrastructure for Network Computing (BOINC), which was launched in 2004. Its software platform uses the processing power of personal computers for research that requires intensive computing, as is the case with the SIMAP project too.
Power Sleep is also designed to serve as an alarm clock, perhaps as an incentive to download the Android app from the Samsung app store and Google Play. So, in the name of science, don’t turn off your phone when you sleep.
Further links:
Global.samsungtomorrow.com
Samsung.com
Univie.ac.at/en
Boinc.berkeley.edu
Boincsimap.org
Psfk.com
Related Articles
“Tidal wave” of cancer predicted
WHO predicts doubling of annual cancer cases by year 2034
Read moreYou Ask, They Answer: Opioid Addiction
Patients with personality disorders, depression, anxiety or a history of alcohol or drug abuse are at high risk of opioid addiction
Read moreWorried about medical bills?
Mount Elizabeth Hospitals says patients can obtain a clear breakdown of their medical bills beforehand along with the coverage of several insurance options
Read moreLatest Articles
Medical Care
Clinical Exercise Physiologist (CEP): The Emerging of Exercise is Medicine
How Exercising can be a Medicine
Read moreMedical Care
Reversing type 2 Diabetes: Embracing Hope and Determination
Experience the remarkable journey of Ash and his grandfather Atok as they conquer type 2 diabetes through unconventional methods, showcasing the power of love and determination over adversity.
Read moreMedical Care
Bladder Cancer: What You Need to Know
Empower yourself with our comprehensive guide to bladder cancer. Explore symptoms, diagnosis, treatments, and supportive resources to safeguard your health.
Read more
