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    Blood Infection Treatments to be Discovered Using Crowdsourcing [VIDEO]

    By Amanda Pittman | Mashable – Sat, Sep 1, 2012

    The creators of mobile game Foldit are bringing scientists together to cure sepsis, also known as "blood poisoning."

    [More from Mashable: 5 Games You Should Play This Weekend]

    The condition causes one's entire body to be inflamed as a result of an infection. It is the immune system's response to bacteria in various tissues and fluids throughout the body. Sepsis occurs upwards of 100 million times a year and can be fatal.

    Foldit presents users with a simulated structure of a protein. The player is then tasked to "fold" the protein -- effectually rearranging the shape of it, to create a unique, but stable result. When a new shape has been created, it is sent to researchers to be analyzed. If it is found to stable, it may provide researchers with insight into a possible treatment for those who suffer from sepsis.

    [More from Mashable: White House Unveils Beer Recipes [VIDEO]]

    By creating a crowdsourcing game, researchers and Foldit founders hope be able to better treat this disease. The crowdsourcing function could potentially allow for more solutions in a more efficient way.

    This story originally published on Mashable here.

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