Cluster VS Cancer is Powered by Apple

Profiles in Success: University of Lausanne

A major new approach to cancer research is being backed by Apple technology and expertise. The University of Lausanne’s Cluster VS Cancer project harnesses spare computing power from across the world to simulate important experiments, and speed up development of solutions to the disease. Apple is helping to create the project’s grid computing infrastructure through the Apple Research & Technology Support (ARTS) programme.

“Many cancer research projects today are based on virtual simulations, requiring enormous and costly computer processing”, explains Dr Hamid Hussain-Khan, Technical Director of the Cluster VS Cancer Foundation. “Cluster VS Cancer means people will be able to aid research projects directly by making available the unused processing power of their computers. Apple’s support now is critical to making Cluster VS Cancer work”.

Cancer directly affects nearly a third of the world’s population. The traditional way to help scientists combat the disease is by financial donations to research. Although that cash is increasingly important — particularly as research gets more expensive — Cluster VS Cancer offers people the chance to play a more direct and personal role in advancing understanding and treatments.

Cluster VS Cancer is made possible by two science and technology developments. The first is the new science of bioinformatics, which dramatically shortens the in vitro phase of cancer research through virtual simulation of experiments. The second is the maturing software technology of grid computing, which enables repeated processing of a complex problem on a multitude of personal computers, via the Internet.

Virtual simulations in bioinformatics often need significant computer processing power, and until recently only major laboratories and research institutes could afford the super computer capacity required. Distributed information technology, or grid computing, could change that.

The idea of using grid computing for cancer research in the context of the Cluster VS Cancer project came about in discussions over lunch between two colleagues at the University of Lausanne. Dr Hamid Hussain-Khan was working on a molecular modelling project that badly needed more processing power. Julien Goumaz, a Communications Manager, said he had just seen 50 new computers being delivered on campus. And the vision was born.

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