Human Genetic Variation Alters Anthrax Toxin Sensitivity
Martchenko, Candille et al., PNAS
Researchers at Stanford University School of Medicine show that genetic variation affecting capillary morphogenesis gene 2, or CMG2, dramatically alters toxin sensitivity in humans. In its analysis, the team reports on "a CMG2 single-nucleotide polymorphism occurring frequently in African and European populations [that they found] independently altered toxin uptake." The group goes on to suggest "testing of genomically characterized human cell populations may offer a broadly useful strategy for elucidating effects of genetic variation on infectious disease susceptibility."
GPU Developer Network Launched
November 23, 2009
Last week at SC09, the Coordinated Science Laboratory of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, announced the launch of gpucomputing.net, a new network of research communities intended to foster collaboration among researchers and GPU developers. The interactive website will be structured by GPU application areas and enable users to access colleagues, findings, data, forums, and news items in their own fields of research. So far, they have established communities for Molecular Modeling (which University of Illinois GPU guru John Stone helps moderate), general GPU topics, GPU and HPC applications, and medical imaging analysis and visualization. Users will also have ready access to other communities and application domains, and community resources will be completely integrated to encourage interdisciplinary collaborations. The site is open for anyone to view, but membership is required to actually take part in the various communities. However, anyone with an "edu" email address will be automatically accepted as members — everyone else is welcome to request membership by referral from an existing member.