WormBase 2016: The Database for Nematode Research Expands

Image: By Audrey Risser | Community Manager

With the goal of accelerating research with an impact on human health, WormBase, a comprehensive database on the biology, genetics and genomics of nematodes, was recently expanded. Professor Tim Schedl, whose research at the Washington University Department of Genetics focuses on Caenorhabditis elegans, took part in the development of WormBase 2016.

The WormBase central repository for research data on nematodes aims to accelerate and facilitate biological research by making the collected outputs of the research community accessible through a single resource, and to transfer this knowledge to the study of other animals, humans included.

Over 25,000 species of nematodes have been described so far. They are the most abundant animal on the planet. These tiny worms are highly valued in experimental biology, specifically C. elegans, for its transparency, reproductive mode, small size, rapid generation time, simple nervous system and invariant cell lineage. These all make it perfectly suited to the study of animal genetics. C. elegans is an ideal model to gain a better understanding of embryonic development, apoptosis, neuronal signaling and infectious diseases in humans.

For more information on this database, please visit https://www.researchgate.net/publication/284172142_WormBase_2016_expanding_to_enable_helminth_genomic_research

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