On January 11, the Sbarro Health Research Organization (www.shro.org), a nonprofit research group, will open its Internet headquarters on Second Life, the parallel internet-based virtual world created in 2003 by Linden Research. The Dig S Lab project team created the Sbarro compound on the futuristic Second Life with the aim of providing a dynamic space for open discussion, learning, and scientific interaction and collaboration. The island includes reproductions of real life laboratories, international conference rooms and innovative structures. Digi S Lab is one of the first Virtual Lab projects in the world. It will showcase the daily efforts of young and expert scientists and doctors to develop innovative techniques in genetics, molecular biology and medicine.
The Sbarro Institute for Cancer Research and Molecular Medicine in Philadelphia was established in 1993. “We hope to use this multi-scientific environment as a place where we might eventually develop new scientific devices,” said Antonio Giordano, M.D., Ph.D., the President and Founder of the SHRO.
“The virtual research laboratories may be the beginning of a new path, which will lead us to improve our research results and help to aggregate the best minds in the field.” According to Giuseppe Russo, Ph.D., the SHRO Chief Executive Officer of the project, “With the assistance of WorldWired, Inc. Informatics Company we have created a unique space which is impressively dynamic and real. We spent a lot of energy in creating a unique lab space focusing our attention to enhance the teaching of Biotechnology, Bioinformatics and Molecular Medicine.”
Submitted by Liva Zerbino