IBM to Explore Body Mysteries

IBM plans to unlock the mysteries of the Human body by using a very powerful computer, 1000 times more powerful than the chess playing Deep Blue.

IBM plans to build a computer called Blue Gene to solve the mysteries how proteins get their shape. The proteins are the building blocks of the body. Proteins are strings that fold into complex shapes. The shape largely determines how the protein works in the body, whether it transports oxygen like haemoglobin, or breaks up molecules of fat to digest food.
Knowing the structure of the proteins involved in a disease process may help the scientists to tailor drugs to lock on to the proteins and block or change their function.
Many diseases like Hepatitis, Hypertension, AIDS, Common Cold etc. may be understood better in the future.

IBM expects it would take upto 5 years and $ 100 million to build the computer, which will be 500 times faster than the fastest computer today.