# Docking@Home

> BOINC based volunteer computing project researching protein structure

**Wikidata**: [Q2704276](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q2704276)  
**Wikipedia**: [English](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Docking@Home)  
**Source**: https://4ort.xyz/entity/docking-home

## Summary
Docking@Home is a volunteer computing project that uses the donated processing power of personal computers to research protein structure. The project runs on the Berkeley Open Infrastructure for Network Computing (BOINC) platform, allowing anyone to contribute their computer's idle time to scientific research. Its primary goal is to perform large-scale computational studies related to how proteins interact.

## Key Facts
- **Primary Function:** Researches protein structure.
- **Project Type:** Volunteer computing, distributed computing.
- **Platform:** A Berkeley Open Infrastructure for Network Computing (BOINC) project.
- **Software Dependency:** Requires the Berkeley Open Infrastructure for Network Computing (BOINC) software.
- **Classification:** An instance of software, volunteer computing, and a BOINC project.
- **Official Website:** http://docking.cis.udel.edu/
- **Aliases:** Also known as Docking@home.
- **Wikipedia Presence:** Has articles in 9 languages on Wikipedia.

## FAQs
### Q: What is Docking@Home?
A: Docking@Home is a scientific research project that uses volunteer computing to study protein structure. Participants download software that runs computations on their computers when they are not in use, contributing to a large, distributed supercomputer.

### Q: How does Docking@Home work?
A: The project uses the Berkeley Open Infrastructure for Network Computing (BOINC) platform. This system sends small computational tasks to volunteers' computers, which process the data and send the results back. By combining the power of thousands of computers, the project can tackle complex problems in protein research.

### Q: What is the goal of the Docking@Home project?
A: The project's goal is to research protein structure. This type of research is fundamental to understanding biological processes and can have applications in areas like drug discovery and disease treatment.

## Why It Matters
Docking@Home addresses the immense computational challenge of modeling protein interactions. Understanding how proteins "dock" or bind to each other is crucial for developing new medicines and understanding the mechanisms of diseases. These simulations require massive amounts of processing power, often exceeding the capacity of single research institutions.

By adopting a volunteer computing model, Docking@Home democratizes access to high-performance computing. It allows complex scientific problems to be broken down and distributed across thousands of personal computers around the world. This approach not only accelerates the pace of research by creating a virtual supercomputer at a fraction of the cost but also engages the public directly in the scientific process. The project represents a powerful method for leveraging collective resources to advance a critical area of biomedical research.

## Notable For
- **Specific Research Focus:** The project is dedicated specifically to the computational problem of researching protein structure and docking.
- **Use of BOINC:** It operates on the Berkeley Open Infrastructure for Network Computing (BOINC), a widely-used and standardized platform for volunteer computing.
- **Public Participation Model:** As a volunteer computing project, its strength and processing power come directly from public participants who donate their unused computer resources.

## Body
### Project Overview
Docking@Home is a distributed computing project focused on scientific research into protein structure. It falls under the category of volunteer computing, where individuals contribute their personal computer's processing power to a collective goal. The project's scientific aim is to better understand how proteins interact and bind with each other.

### Technical Infrastructure
The project is built upon and depends on the Berkeley Open Infrastructure for Network Computing (BOINC) platform. This framework manages the distribution of computational work units to volunteer computers and the collection of the results. Users must install the BOINC client software to participate in the project.

### Classification and Identifiers
- **Instance Of:** Software, Volunteer Computing, Berkeley Open Infrastructure for Network Computing projects
- **Aliases:** Docking@home
- **Freebase ID:** /m/06znnrc
- **Microsoft Academic ID (discontinued):** 2778810222

### Online Presence
- **Official Website:** The project's English-language website is located at http://docking.cis.udel.edu/.
- **Wikipedia:** The project has a presence on Wikipedia in 9 languages: English, Spanish, Finnish, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Russian, Chinese, and a Commons media page.
- **Wikimedia Commons:** Media related to the project is available under the category `Docking@Home`.

## References

1. Freebase Data Dumps. 2013