# The WikiPathways Project: At the Intersection of Big Data and Researcher Knowledge

> **NIH NIH R01** · J. DAVID GLADSTONE INSTITUTES · 2020 · $388,928

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY
WikiPathways aims to capture the full diversity of biological pathway information as both human readable
diagrams and computational models. Our pioneering approach, especially among biomedical databases, has
been to dramatically decentralize collection and curation, opening the process up to any interested researcher
or citizen scientist, while maintaining multiple tiers of quality assurance prior to distribution. The approach is
working. In the midst of an already exceptional growth curve, we are now targeting new sources of published
pathway information yet to be modeled by any other database and new onramps for researchers to become
contributors. Further, we intend to make pathway information more accessible and relevant by supplying
multiple image and data formats, and also by taking the time to integrate our pathway data with public and user
datasets, semantic resources, publications, and bioinformatics workflows. These new inputs and output also
depend on stable, scalable infrastructure, thus our aims:
 1. To target new content streams from published figures and consortia, while also expanding the potential
 base of contributors and curators through innovative training systems and improved web-based
 pathway modeling tools.
 2. To enhance research results through the integration of pathway information with specific datasets,
 resources and workflows, enabling custom visualizations, semantic queries, and enrichment analyses.
 3. To provide researchers with a reliable set of services through specific software hardening and
 modularizing steps that will support scalable and sustainable hardware options.
Over the next 5 years, we will redefine (yet again) what is expected from a pathway database by capturing the
full diversity of biological pathway models and providing dynamic and integrated views of these pathway data.
Our aim to include more researchers in our collaborative pathway collection and curation process serves the
database, and also will expose researchers to the direct benefits of open science practices. Ultimately, our
goal remains to support and enhance efforts across all areas of biomedical and disease research. A
comprehensive collection of pathway models continuously maintained by an open, collaborative process will
provide valuable context and connections for diverse datasets.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9924609
- **Project number:** 5R01GM100039-09
- **Recipient organization:** J. DAVID GLADSTONE INSTITUTES
- **Principal Investigator:** Alexander R Pico
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $388,928
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2012-09-01 → 2022-04-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9924609

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9924609, The WikiPathways Project: At the Intersection of Big Data and Researcher Knowledge (5R01GM100039-09). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-29 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9924609. Licensed CC0.

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