Folding proteins at home

When his wife was diagnosed with a hereditary disease, Peter Johnson* wanted to help her. Using a program called Folding @ Home, he found a way to make a difference -- by doing genetic research on his home computer.

"I remember just going into a fix-it mode like most people do," he said." You try to look for things you can do to contribute or to help in some way. I couldn't throw money at the problem, so I thought I'd look at this, see what it does."