Are We Kece?

Help Solve the Next Outbreak—by Playing an Online Game

Wednesday, September 5, 2012 | 8:47 PM | 0 Comment(s)

Last year, two teams of gamers co-authored a paper describing an HIV-related protein that had long stumped scientists. Not only did they puzzle out the protein's elusive shape, they did it in just three weeks. Their scientific method: Play a multiplayer online game called Foldit.

Protein folding is one of the hardest computational problems in biology. The get-it-done chemicals of life, proteins power muscles, transport signals through the brain, and defend against germs. A protein's function partially depends on how its long chains of chemical building blocks fold into a compact and chemically stable shape. And determining that shape can lead to new treatments for diseases such as cancer, AIDS, and Alzheimer's. Surprisingly, it seems that teams of human beings motivated by curiosity and competition might do this better than the most sophisticated computers.

To play, gamers wiggle, shake, and pull digital models of proteins into new shapes—the more compact the shape, the higher the score. People who cooperate tend to be most effective. "You don't find many soloists among the top scorers," notes Doreen DeSorbo, a Web designer and a global moderator for the game. Now Foldit players have been asked to design a new protein—one that will bind to a flu virus and stop it in its tracks.

Foldit Gameplay

Foldit players manipulate protein chains using moves like these:

Rebuild

Tests alternative shapes for tough protein segments.

Wiggle

Settles the chain to compact it, like shaking uncooked pasta in a box.

Shake

Jiggles the protein's side chains so they don't bump each other.

Rubber Band

Creates a link that draws two sections together during a wiggle.

Freeze

Immobilizes just one part of a protein.

Tweak

Rotates a main component so that the side chains face in a new direction.

Pull

Lets a player move any part of the protein.

Undo

A beginner's best friend.

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