UK Particle Physics Computing GRID Fights Bird Flu

Throughout April, UK computers have been working overtime in the fight against avian flu. As part of an international collaboration, computers at eleven UK universities and research labs have put in one hundred thousand hours of time searching for possible drug components against the avian flu virus H5N1. The analysis used a computing Grid, a new network that brings together worldwide computer resources to solve scientific problems.

The computing Grid used in the UK was originally built to help particle physicists examine the huge amounts of data from their experiments. But it is now part of a wider project called EGEE (Enabling Grids for E-sciencE), that lets other scientists share its resources. As Professor Tony Doyle, Project Leader for the UK particle physics Grid, explains, "The Grid is useful for any kind of research that needs lots of computing power. In this case it’s greatly speeded up a step in the search for drugs against avian flu, and we’ve been pleased to use the UK particle physics Grid to help."

The computers used in the UK came from the Universities of Brunel, Birmingham, Durham, Edinburgh, Imperial College London, Lancaster, Manchester, Oxford, Royal Holloway University of London, University College London, and CCLRC Rutherford Appleton Laboratory. They are all part of the GridPP project, which runs the UK particle physics Grid.

Professor Keith Mason, CEO of the Particle Physics and Astronomy Research Council (PPARC), which funds GridPP says, "This project is a clear example of how developments in basic research can support wider applications. GridPP has been developed to help answer questions about the conditions in the Universe just after the Big Bang, but the same resources and techniques can be exploited by other sciences with a more direct benefit to society."

"With these results, the Grid demonstrates that it is a powerful and reliable resource for scientists, opening up new research possibilities and improving existing methods," said Viviane Reding, European Commissioner responsible for Information Society and Media. "I am very grateful to see that the European flagship Grid infrastructure is contributing to solving current and socially important problems such as avian flu."

Visit the PPARC website to read the full press release

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