to calculate the position of each atom in several 

 related leukotriene molecules: three-dimensional 

 scientific visualization then displayed the subtle 

 differences in atom positioning that are crucial to 

 biological activity. More effective medications 

 with fewer side effects are the goal of this high 

 performance molecular dynamics computing. 



Molecules assemble themselves into cells and 

 tissues, and at this level also computerized anal- 

 ysis has expanded our knowledge. One of the 

 most complicated cells in the brain is a neuron 

 called the Purkinje cell: each one of these cells 

 may have up to 200,000 electrical connections 

 with other brain cells. Researchers at the 

 California Institute of Technology used an 

 experimental massively parallel computer to 

 model the response of Purkinje cells to chemical 

 and electrical stimuli. Their model emulates the 



observed behavior of the living cell, and pro- 

 vides evidence that although the connections to 

 other neurons are voluminous, there is an elegant 

 simplicity in the spatial arrangement of these 

 brain interconnections. 



Cells and tissues organize into body systems, 

 which can also be better understood using HPCC 

 technologies. Magnetic Resonance Imaging 

 (MRl) is a widely used method for imaging 

 internal structure of the human body that pro- 

 duces two-dimensional cross section views. 

 Researchers at Sandia National Laboratories, in 

 collaboration with Baylor University Medical 

 Center in Dallas and the Department of Veterans 

 Affairs Medical Center in Albuquerque, have 

 used massively parallel supercomputers to turn 

 two-dimensional MRl images into three-dimen- 

 sional views, and revealed previously hidden 



Massively parallel supercomputing turns two-dimensional magnetic resonance images into three- 

 dimensional maps that can identify early breast cancers. 



130 



