WormAtlas: A Center for Nematode Anatomy
Official title: WormAtlas and The Center for Nematode Anatomy
Funded at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign · NIH-11421626 · Data updated 2026-11-12
A project to create the world’s best online atlas of nematode anatomy (especially C. elegans) to help researchers understand how these worms develop and how they relate to human biology.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Champaign, United States) |
| Project start | July 15, 2026 |
| Project end | April 30, 2030 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $646,919 |
| NIH project number | 1R24OD042575-01 |
| Project ID | NIH-11421626 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Not applicable; this is a model-organism project and data resource rather than a patient-centered trial.
✕Less likely to help
Patients are not directly enrolled; benefits are through advancing basic science and reproducible research.
What this research studies
This project builds a centralized resource that maps nematode anatomy using electron microscopy data and user-friendly interfaces. It aims to make detailed anatomical information easily interpretable and freely accessible to students, researchers, and clinicians. By training graduate students and postdocs in EM techniques and anatomy curation, it supports rigorous, reproducible science that can inform studies of aging, cancer, and neurodevelopment in humans.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, researchers will have a reliable, open resource to better understand nematode biology and its relevance to human health.
How similar studies have gone: Other EM-based anatomical atlases have advanced research, and this project aims to become a leading, freely available resource.
Where this research is happening
-
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Champaign, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Schroeder, Nathan — University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
- Study coordinator: Schroeder, Nathan
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.