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Supercomputer: The common cold killer?

13th September 2012 Print

The common cold is the human condition’s nemesis. It comes back, year after year, without fail. The quest to finally defeat the common cold is constantly being spurred on by technological and medical advancements, but finally, we have seen hope on the horizon.

Scientists in Australia have developed a supercomputer that reconstructs a molecular, 3D representation of the human rhinovirus, in the hope that this will help develop the antiviral drugs to put down this pesky virus for good.

What is the Human Rhinovirus?

The common cold is a viral infection that causes stuffy or running noses, sneezing, sore throats, and coughing. Usually it doesn’t require treatment, as it gets better with time.

There are more than 200 different viruses that cause the common cold – that’s why you can never seem to get rid of the human rhinovirus. On average, an adult has 2-4 colds a year, whereas children suffer from 3-8. This is due to children having a weaker immune system, making them vulnerable to intruding viruses.

The reason why colds spread like wildfire is because they can be passed on by direct and indirect contact. Direct contact is if you sneeze or cough and tiny droplets ridden with the virus become airborne and inhaled by those around you. Indirect contact is if you sneeze or cough on a door handle or some other space which comes into frequent contact with other human beings and they touch their mouth or nose.

Someone becomes contagious 2-3 days before their symptoms begin and don’t stop being contagious until they pass. The length of this period is around 2 weeks, in general. Adults and older children can fight the bug in a week by drinking plenty of fluids and taking paracetamol.

No-one seems to know why we are more susceptible to colds in the winter. Research suggests that the cold weather makes our immune systems more vulnerable to colds, but there is no conclusive evidence to support the theory.

Back to the Supercomputer

IBM’s Blue Gene/Q has finally enabled scientists to run simulations of the virus, including 3 million atoms of the atom’s shell. An IBM Blue Gene/Q machine has a system with 1.6Hz power cores and 65 terabytes of memory, making it the fastest computer in Australia. It’s thought that this is the first step towards treatments for other viruses too.

For the majority of people, the common cold isn’t particularly threatening – an annoyance, at most – but those suffering from asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) have severe symptoms. The rhinovirus is responsible for hospitalising over 35% of COPD sufferers every year.

Treating the common cold would mean happy news for health centres throughout the world, as it cuts the high costs of hospitalised ‘at-risk’ patients. With this simulation, scientists can see the effect drugs have on the rhinovirus at a molecular level. Recent research uses a new antiviral drug, created by Biota Holdings LTD, which is frequently administered to those who experience life-threatening symptoms from the common cold.

This guest article was submitted on behalf of http://www.lawyers4patients.co.uk by Francesca, a blogger with an interest in a variety of topics, including health, fitness and travel.