How beetles and ants evolved to work together
Official title: The Architecture of Species Interactions
Funded at California Institute of Technology · NIH-11331709 · Data updated 2026-11-12
Researchers study how beetles that live with ants developed specialized chemistry and behavior that ties them to ants, which could reveal ways to understand and treat symbiotic relationships in humans.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | California Institute of Technology NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Pasadena, United States) |
| Project start | May 11, 2026 |
| Project end | January 31, 2031 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $467,500 |
| NIH project number | 1R35GM164058-01 |
| Project ID | NIH-11331709 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Not applicable to patient participation for this grant.
✕Less likely to help
This project does not involve direct patient participation or treatment.
What this research studies
This project looks at how certain beetles became dependent on ant colonies by changing their chemistry and nervous systems. By comparing free-living beetles with their symbiotic relatives, scientists aim to trace the molecular steps that enable this deep partnership. The work covers genetics, biosynthetic pathways, and cell types to explain how the beetles integrate into ant society. Findings could inform our understanding of complex host-microbe and host-insect interactions that influence health. The study is conducted at a major research institution and involves a team of experts in biology, chemistry, and evolution.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: Better understanding of how complex symbiotic relationships evolve, which could inform strategies to manage similar interactions in human health and disease.
How similar studies have gone: Previous studies in symbiosis and evolutionary biology have yielded insights into how new biological interactions arise, with strong foundational precedent.
Where this research is happening
-
California Institute of Technology
Pasadena, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Parker, Joseph — California Institute of Technology
- Study coordinator: Parker, Joseph
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
-
Genetic and Neural Drivers of Sleep in Zebrafish
Researchers are studying how genes and brain signals control sleep using zebrafish to understand why sleep disorders happen and how to treat them.
-
Wireless, skin-friendly neck wearable to support voice/airway care
A neck-worn, wireless sensor system combines two measurements to help people with voice and airway problems manage symptoms and stay adherent to treatment.
-
Bacterial gene activity in human tissues to link microbes and host health
A research project to map which genes are active in both human tissues and their resident bacteria to better understand conditions like Crohn’s disease.
-
In Situ Amplification for Biological Imaging using Hybridization Chain Reaction
A research grant supporting a new imaging approach that helps scientists visualize where RNA and proteins are located inside tissues and embryos.
-
WormBase: a life science data hub for C. elegans and other nematodes
Aimed at continuously improving WormBase, a key online data resource used by researchers studying C. elegans and related nematodes, to help scientists access genome and gene information more efficiently.
-
Alliance Central: A platform to build smarter genome knowledge bases
A NIH-funded project to create a next-generation software platform and data framework that helps scientists integrate and harmonize genome and model-organism data to better understand human health and disease.
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.