Can you imagine contributing to the research on coronavirus… sleeping?
Originally published by: Find your digital self | FySelf Blog
Do you know that you can collaborate in the investigation on coronavirus? You don’t even need to be awake for this. Yes, you read right, from the comfort of your home and only with your cell phone connected to the Internet. This basically means you can be part of an investigation, the results of which can change the course of science.
With the DreamLab app and its Corona-AI project, you can donate the performance of your mobile device to search for possible drugs that help to fight coronavirus, as well as identify food components that increase immunity against the effects of the virus.
This curious option arises thanks to the initiative of Imperial College London and the Vodafone Foundation, we can say it is an European tech project.
What is Corona-AI?
The Corona-AI project was launched this year because of the threat posed to the entire world by the coronavirus pandemic. It is part of the DreamLab application, which has promoted other projects in the fight against cancer. It currently has users in 17 countries, including the UK, Australia, South Africa, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Spain, and Portugal.
Since the launch of the project thousands of volunteers have joined in the search for solutions to the pandemic. Thanks to this, the Corona-AI investigation has completed 55% of the progress. Virtual volunteers donate daily partial use of their phone processors. They perform trillions of scientific calculations against the virus.
We have to do difficult and complicated analyzes using artificial intelligence to find out which molecule or combinations of molecules could disrupt the virus when it is inside the body. We want to target not just one protein, but the entire network that the virus creates in order to survive. (…). All of this requires a great deal of computing power, and DreamLab creates a supercomputer that allows us to do this important work in a relatively short period of time.
Dr Kirill Veselkov, Department of Surgery and Cancer at Imperial College London, who led the research
How does the app work?
When running the DreamLab application and in the time when the phones charge, especially at night, the devices perform mathematical calculations. These make it possible to analyze existing drug combinations, food-based molecules, and genetic interactions.
Source: Vodafone
A machine running all day would take 300 years to process the data needed to complete the project. But 100,000 smartphones with DreamLab on for six hours a night could speed up work in just three months.
The app consumes minimal data and even has a monthly data plan, as desired by the user. Also, if you are a Vodafone customer, the data you spend with the app is free. It never geolocates the smartphone, nor does it use the user’s personal information.
According to the Imperial College London website, the first results have identified molecules with antiviral properties in berries, specifically in black currants and blueberries, as well as in apples, oranges, lemons, cabbage, broccoli, onions, garlic, parsley and beans.
The researchers anticipate that the research will be completed by the end of 2021 and the results will be made available to the scientific community, with the purpose of facilitating clinical trials.
We are proud that DreamLab is supporting COVID-19 research and providing a platform for people around the world to get involved. As the investigation moves into Phase 2, there is still a lot to do. We encourage everyone to download and use the DreamLab app whenever they charge their smartphone. Together, we are making a difference.
Helen Lamprell, Trustee of the Vodafone UK Foundation and Director of External Affairs and General Counsel of Vodafone UK
