The work we do on TSC will also have a direct impact on cancer research, and we will be testing the drugs we find as weapons against cancer. In addition the work we do to create a system to attack orphan diseases will form a prototype for work on other orphan diseases.

TSC is a genetic disorder that leads to benign tumors in multiple organs, including the brain, kidneys, heart, eyes, lungs and other organs. During the first few years, the severity of TSC can range from mild skin abnormalities to, in severe cases, seizures, mental retardation or renal failure. For more information about TSC please visit www.tsalliance.org

The CommunityTSC project uses Sengent’s CommunityOS™ Grid computing framework and its D2OL™ software and the idle time on your personal computer to help make drugs to treat patients with TSC. It is safe and does not interfere with any other operation of your computer.

CommunityOS™ lets us tie 1000's of computers into a single machine able to rival (or beat with more volunteers) the worlds largest super computers. D2OL™ is the software program that is downloaded to your computer and used to evaluate drug candidates for Tuberous Sclerosis. Again, no knowledge needed, and if you close the window it runs invisible behind the scenes.

The Rothberg Institute is funding some of the best researchers and Harvard, Yale and the Fox chase cancer center to find new targets for intervention in the treatment of TSC. Those targets are fed into drug development programs right at the ICCB at Harvard as well at the Rothberg Institute.

D2OL™ searches millions of candidate compounds (about 2 million of these compounds are available to purchase from chemical suppliers around the world) for potential drugs that fit into the targets we discovery, like fitting a key to a lock. As a user, no intervention is required and the software will test candidates as long as it is running. You do not need to be connected to the internet for it to work.