Scientists at Wake Forest University are using the same graphics processing units (GPUs) found in video game devices to simulate the function of human cells, including cancer cells.

The most recent simulation identified hidden states in the folding and unfolding of a critical RNA molecule. Understanding the molecule, a component of the human telomerase enzyme, will hopefully enable advances in cancer treatments.

The next focus is the bacterial ribosome – a system some 200 times larger than the RNA molecule. This research is only possible because of the GPUs, which perform simulations much faster than standard computers.