Video Gamers Help Solve Disease

The collective intelligence of thousands of video game players is helping researchers understand the regulation of more than 500 different disease genes.

Written byJef Akst

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Earlier this year, a protein-folding game called Foldit made headlines when its developers announced a group of players had solved the structure of a protein that has stumped scientists for more than 10 years. Now, another science-inspired “game” is making waves in the community—one that could help decipher the genetic basis of dozens of diseases.

The game, called Phylo, was developed by Jérôme Waldispuhl of the McGill School of Computer Science and collaborator Mathieu Blanchette. Its 17,000 registered users log on to arrange sequences of colored blocks that represent the nucleotides of DNA. "There's a lot of excitement in the idea of playing a game and contributing to science at the same time," Blanchette said in a press release. "It's guilt-free playing; now you can ...

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Meet the Author

Jef Akst
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Jef (an unusual nickname for Jennifer) got her master’s degree from Indiana University in April 2009 studying the mating behavior of seahorses. After four years of diving off the Gulf Coast of Tampa and performing behavioral experiments at the Tennessee Aquarium in Chattanooga, she left research to pursue a career in science writing. As The Scientist's managing editor, Jef edited features and oversaw the production of the TS Digest and quarterly print magazine. In 2022, her feature on uterus transplantation earned first place in the trade category of the Awards for Excellence in Health Care Journalism. She is a member of the National Association of Science Writers.
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