TMCnet News

Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to Present at Supercomputing 2014: Utilizing High Performance Computers to Battle Infectious Diseases
[November 14, 2014]

Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to Present at Supercomputing 2014: Utilizing High Performance Computers to Battle Infectious Diseases


NEW ORLEANS --(Business Wire)--

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) along with other U.S. government agencies, the World Health Organization (WHO), and international partners, is taking active steps to respond to the rapidly changing situation in West Africa. Two imported cases, including one death, and two locally acquired cases in healthcare workers have been reported in the United States. CDC and partners are taking precautions to prevent the spread of Ebola within the United States in addition to its activities abroad.

This session - HPC: A Matter of Life or Death; Date: Tuesday, November 18th - will use the example of a fictitious "zombie virus" outbreak to demonstrate the multiple applications of HPC to public health. These include: 1. Big Data Analysis to detect outbreaks, 2. Spatial modeling and modeling of potential outbreaks to develop emergenc response plans, 3. Genomic evaluation of suspected disease outbreaks, 4. Drug manufacturing and supply modeling, 5. Contact tracing and response modeling to evaluate current activities and improve response activities, and 6. Post-event analysis to prepare for the next epidemic.



Though this session will use a fictitious zombie outbreak as the basis for discussion in order to increase interest in the session, the uses described will be applicable to real life outbreaks such as Ebola and H1N1.

This session is part of the overall HPC Impact Showcase and is designed to introduce attendees to the many ways that HPC matters in our world, through real-world testimonials from companies large and small. Presentations will be framed for a non-expert audience interested in technology, and will discuss how the use of HPC has resulted in design, engineering, or manufacturing innovations.


For a full list of the sessions, visit: http://sc14.supercomputing.org/exhibit/hpc-impact-showcase.


[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]