DreamLab

DreamLab is a mobile application developed by the Vodafone Foundation Australia. It leverages the unused processing power of smartphones while they are charging overnight to accelerate medical research. Specifically, it performs complex calculations to help researchers analyze large datasets, speeding up the discovery of new treatments and potential cures for diseases.

The app works by downloading small pieces of research projects, breaking down large problems into smaller, manageable chunks that can be solved by individual smartphones. The results are then aggregated and analyzed by the research institution to provide insights that would otherwise take much longer to obtain.

DreamLab has been utilized in various medical research areas, including cancer research, COVID-19 research, and identifying combinations of existing drugs that could be effective in treating specific diseases. Users can choose which research project they want to support, allowing them to contribute directly to the areas of medical science they find most impactful. The application is designed to be secure and does not access any personal data from the user's phone.