RSSMicrosoft Anti-Spam Tech to Fight HIV
By Nate Mook | Published February 23, 2005, 10:30 AM
Microsoft Researchers have found another use for the anti-spam technology that keeps inboxes junk-free: developing vaccines for HIV.
With the same software techniques traditionally used to analyze databases and track spam, medical researchers can find hidden patterns in millions of HIV strains and create improved vaccine designs. The genetic patterns are necessary to train a patient's immune system to fight the deadly virus.
Microsoft scientists David Heckerman and Nebojsa Jojic were the first to pioneer the medical uses of anti-spam software. They have joined up with doctors and scientists from the University of Washington and Australia's Royal Perth Hospital to build more potent vaccines based on the data gathered by Microsoft's technologies.
"Science is changing rapidly with the explosion of new data, and we've only scratched the surface of what computers can do to help advance this kind of research," said David Heckerman, senior researcher and manager of the Research Machine Learning and Applied Statistics Group at Microsoft.
Although it seems like science fiction, Microsoft says the work is already showing potential. Vaccine designs aided by Microsoft Research are currently undergoing laboratory testing at the University of Washington. Tests at Royal Perth Hospital will follow, with initial results expected later this year.
"These Microsoft Research technologies weren't initially conceived as medical research tools, but they may prove to be critical to the ongoing battle to slow down or halt HIV and other deadly viruses," said Dr. James Mullins, professor in the UW Department of Microbiology.
Researchers also plan to use the techniques to analyze HIV strains from around the world and gain a better understanding of the virus and its mutations. Microsoft says the vaccine models could also aid in the treatment of other mutating viruses such as hepatitis C.
theres more money in research and development as well as treatment than in curing. There IS a cure. for those who forgot the expose years ago, AIDS is a man made chjemical warfare weapon and there was a cure. it isnt being released and never will be.
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|Microsoft medical? ... god. just kill me now LOL
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|All kidding aside I think it's great news. Chalk one up for MS this time around. All the power to them if they can at least do something to help out in finding a cure or way to at least help people in cases like this.
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|You think if they Cured HIV the different Governments would cut them some slack then? :)
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|There was a video blog on Channel9 a couple of weeks ago where they actually interviewed David Heckerman. You can check it out here:
http://channel9.msdn.com...wPost.aspx?PostID=40222 (scrub to about halfway through)
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|With Microsoft's track record, you'd expect the HIV vaccine to *give* you AIDS.
The University of Washington and the Royal Perth Hospital should have kept their association with M$ under wraps!
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|Come on man, put your MS bashing aside for a minute and recognize a great effort on the part of MS and UW.
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|No joke, who cares who comes up with a vaccine, as long as someone finds a cure. It's idiots like you that halt the processes of companies like Microsoft that do awesome things for humanity.
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|I have to admit, I laughed when I read the article, and the above post. All kidding aside though, it is a rather odd marriage of disciplines but when you look at it, you have to hand it to MS for giving it a shot.
Penicilin (bad spelling?) was discovered by accident, and I don't think we as a society should limit our research options to traditional methods. Sometimes you have to think outside the box to come up with the right solution. The Gates foundation has given millions to fighting HIV/AIDS, and this is just one more way Bill is making an effort to better our society.
By the way, I think using M$ instead of MS or Microsoft is simply childish. If you don't like the software don't pay for it. Microsoft was founded in America, a capitalist country, where 99.9% of companies are out to make money. If you want to write/use open source software go ahead. Stop hating others for being successful.
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|Actually, they have given billions (yes with a B) to help with HIV research and other HIV related humanitarian efforts.
I'm no Microsoft fan (I have been cursing Windows all day today actually), but Bill deserves a pat on the back.
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|Bill Gates puts alot of his money where his mouth is. I dont like alot of his pet social projects but if believes in them and its his money, all the more power to him.
Anything to help find the cure of AIDs shouldnt be bashed.
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