U.S. hospital uses supercomputer

Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, located in the western United States, has been recognized as having one of the world's most powerful computers.

Cedars-Sinai's supercomputer is designed to analyze blood proteins from cancer cells and provide information that will allow researchers to more accurately predict how cancer patients will respond to specific treatments.

The computer -- fed up to 2 terabytes of molecular patient data per day -- was ranked the 412th most powerful supercomputer in the world by TOP500, a technology ranking organization.

A supercomputer is an extremely powerful computer capable of manipulating massive amounts of data in a short period of time.

"It is truly remarkable that we have this kind of computing power here, and it's a sign of the changing times in medical research," said Dr. David Agus, who supervises the supercomputer's research efforts. "We are trying to develop 'predictive medicine,' and we are passionate about using this technology to help patients quickly and appropriately," he added.

The Sun Microsystems Fire x2100 Cluster with 800 processors, was installed in late 2005 at Cedars-Sinai. The research is being funded by the National Cancer Institute and other philanthropic donors.

Copyright 2006 by United Press International