Chinese Scientists Find Promising Diabetes Treatment with Tianhe-2 Supercomputer

Guangzhou, The Gulf Observer: Leveraging the immense computational power of one of the world’s fastest supercomputers, Tianhe-2, Chinese scientists have identified a promising new therapeutic strategy for treating complications associated with diabetes.

Located in Guangzhou City, south China’s Guangdong Province, Tianhe-2 ranks 16th among the top 500 fastest supercomputers globally, according to the latest TOP500 Project list published last month. This advanced supercomputer has been instrumental in facilitating drug discovery efforts.

The research, led by scientists from Sun Yat-sen University, utilized the Virtual Screening on Tianhe-2 (VSTH) platform, a high-throughput screening system running on Tianhe-2. The team discovered that 2MBC, a branched-chain acylcarnitine, significantly accelerates blood clot formation in the body. This finding opens new avenues for therapeutic targets and innovative strategies to combat complications arising from metabolic disorders such as diabetes.

The researchers emphasized the significance of this discovery, stating that 2MBC directly influences platelet behavior by enhancing their aggregation, spreading, and contraction capabilities. This effect has been observed in both rodent models and human subjects.

2MBC is a metabolite produced by gut microbiota, and the study, recently published in the journal Cell Metabolism, revealed that pre-treatment with antibiotics to eliminate gut bacteria effectively halts this metabolic conversion.

The Tianhe-2 team has committed to further enhancing the drug discovery platform, utilizing the supercomputer’s extensive data resources and superior performance to drive groundbreaking innovation in biomedicine.

Diabetes is one of the most widespread chronic conditions globally, often leading to severe complications such as blood clot formation. These complications are a major cause of disability and mortality among diabetic patients. The discovery of 2MBC’s role in accelerating blood clot formation offers hope for developing new treatments to mitigate these risks.

This breakthrough underscores the potential of integrating advanced computational power with biomedical research to address some of the most pressing health challenges worldwide.