Collaborative Structure Based Drug Design in Virtual Reality
Collaboration is key to human development and critical to ensuring our survival in the coming millennia. As we enter increasingly difficult battles with superbugs, genetic diseases, and airborne viruses, we need to work together to understand and fight back with modern technologies. To design better drugs, we need to understand the molecular structure of threats. At the base level, viruses and bacteria are made from proteins- folded chains of chemicals called Amino Acids.
Scientists around the world determine the structures of target proteins for diseases like HIV, Malaria and Ebola. Millions of these structures are complied on public databases, like the RCSB Protein Databank. These structures are so abundant that it is sometimes difficult to determine a target for drug design.
Solving protein structures is hard: a single misplaced residue can generate a massive misunderstanding and waste drug development efforts. A single mutation can cause diseases like sickle cell anemia. Structural biologists use expert precision to determine protein structure and function.
To achieve this level of accuracy, researchers use visualizations to spot discrepancies between computational structures and experimental data. Tools like Virtual Reality create an environment wherein experts can qualitatively evaluate structures. VR also empowers common users, like gamers to participate in crowdsourced science challenges. At Nanome, we work to promote these challenges with social and economic gamification by integrating blockchain platforms.
With about 12,000 new proteins determined every year, it’s estimated that a complete map of the Human Proteome is achievable in 8 years of global effort. More contributors could accelerate this process with computational molecular modeling based on X-ray diffraction, Nuclear Magnetic Resonance, or Electron Microscopy. Nanome’s free immersive virtual lab makes it possible for anyone with a VR rig to contribute to this process. Join us in empowering the scientists who will pioneer the future of precision medicine.
