Gamers have helped decipher the structure of a monomeric protease enzyme, found in retroviruses like HIV

Von wegen Gamers sind zu nichts zu gebrauchen! Hier haben einige Jungs einen ganz guten Job gemacht:


Gamers have helped decipher the structure of a monomeric protease enzyme, found in retroviruses like HIV, by playing an online game called Foldit.
Foldit, created in 2008 by the University of Washington, asks players in competing groups to unfold chains of amino acids using in-game tools. In this case, those virtual amino acids corresponded to a real-life enzyme that scientists had been trying to decipher for a decade. The gamers created a model in just three weeks.
A new paper based on the Foldit findings lists players as co-authors, and says the discovery “provides new insights for the design of antiretroviral drugs.”