Project Grant R01DC024175

The National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders awarded the University of California, Los Angeles $621,457 on August 14, 2026, under the Research Related to Deafness and Communication Disorders program (CFDA 93.173) to investigate olfactory behaviors and neural mechanisms in skin-penetrating nematodes, particularly Strongyloides stercoralis.

The research examines how infective larvae of S. stercoralis use olfaction to locate and invade human hosts. The project has two primary aims: first, to determine the role of olfaction in driving host invasion and to establish whether distinct olfactory cues mediate host seeking versus host invasion, with comparative studies using the rat-parasitic Strongyloides ratti; second, to identify olfactory neurons in S. stercoralis that respond to host-associated odors, determine their functional role during host invasion and seeking, and analyze their response properties. The research will compare olfactory neuron properties across S. stercoralis, S. ratti, and the free-living model worm Caenorhabditis elegans to illuminate how the S. stercoralis olfactory system has evolved to support human parasitism.

UCLA's Office of Research Administration serves as the recipient. Work is performed in Los Angeles, California. The period of performance runs through May 31, 2031. The project grant is assistance funding supporting biomedical research to address problems in human communication disorders and related sensory systems.