Supercomputer to help the diagnosis of epilepsy, stroke, depression and other brain conditions

The University of Oregon, Electrical Geodesics, Inc. (EGI), and IBM have announced a new project that uses grid computing, Linux and IBM supercomputer technology to speed and improve the diagnosis of Epilepsy, stroke, depression and other brain conditions.

In 2003, researchers at the University of Oregon Neuroinformatics Center received a $1-million grant from the National Science Foundation to build advanced grid computing infrastructure to apply high-performance computing to diagnosing and treating brain-related conditions.

The Integrated Cognitive Neuroscience, Informatics and Computation (ICONIC) grid facilitates more rapid diagnosis by harnessing the collective processing power of the school's computing systems. In addition, the grid offers the ability to better respond to temporary spikes in demand for computing horsepower and helps researchers gain better access to and control over the large volume of data generated during diagnostic imaging work.

EGI is a private medical device and imaging software developer based in the Riverfront Research Park adjacent to the UO campus. EGI is working with the Neuroinformatics Center to further study the commercial possibilities for using grid and Linux-based systems to speed and improve brain-wave monitoring at hospitals and research centers.

"With the multiple architectures provided by IBM's products, we can conduct research on ways of optimizing the medical informatics demands for high performance computing," said Neuroinformatics Center Director Allen Malony." At the same time, we can evaluate all of these architectures running the Linux operating system, simplifying our system administration and improving our reliability."

"Grid computing technology from IBM will play an important role in helping EGI provide doctors and researchers with on-demand access to critical patient data," said Donald Tucker, CEO, Electrical Geodesics, Inc. "We believe grid computing not only brings performance capacity, but allows the patient security and accountability required for critical medical applications."