Collaborative Research: Type II: Flow-induced fragmentation mechanisms in bacterial biofilms by hierarchical modeling of polymeric, interfacial and viscoelastic interactions

合作研究：II 类：通过聚合物、界面和粘弹性相互作用的分层建模来研究细菌生物膜中的流动诱导破碎机制

• 批准号: 0941108
• 负责人: Radhakrishna Sureshkumar
• 金额: $ 42.63万
• 依托单位: Washington University
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2009
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2009-10-01 至 2010-09-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0941108&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Collaborative; Research; Type; II; Flow

Biofilms are colonies of bacteria in which the organisms are immobile and embedded in a sticky, viscous, extracellular matrix of carbohydrate polymers. Bacteria existing in these structures are the most prevalent life form on earth. Typically surface adherent and structurally non-uniform, biofilms arise in natural, industrial and health settings. The biomechanics of biofilms are of fundamental physical science interest because bacterial proliferation from them is triggered by their mechanical rupture, fracture and fragmentation. This rupture involves a complex interplay of molecular and physical interactions, each active on different spatial scales of the biofilm. By integrating modern computational methodologies and resources for simulating the non-equilibrium dynamics of polymers and the multiphase flow of polymeric fluids, the mechanisms for biofilm fragmentation will be identified in this project. The following specific research questions will be addressed: i) How do the biofilm?s biochemical composition and composite-like architecture interact to control the critical stress and strain of fragmentation? ii) How should a physical science based mathematical model of biofilm fragmentation be formulated such that molecular scale microbiology and polymer physics as well as continuum scale variability in mechanical stress and strain all play their necessary roles in fragmentation predictions? iii) What educational agenda should be implemented such that microbiologists and physicians can have a working understanding of the usefulness of first-principles physical science and mathematical modeling techniques?Answering these questions requires joint effort in applied mathematics, non-equilibrium simulation of polymer dynamics, microbiology, and microscale rheology. Successfully doing so promises to transform the scientific understanding of bacterial biofilms from one based solely on molecular biology to one that comprehensively addresses the joint molecular and physical origins of behavior. In addition to improving understanding of biofilms, the methods developed will themselves represent an advance important to many areas including the broad range of soft materials with non-uniform structure on multiple scales. The broader impact of the work will be to produce new scientific understanding of bacterial biofilms mechanics in natural, industrial and human health applications. This understanding will positively impact applications in these diverse areas and, potentially, new treatments for the wide range of diseases linked to biofilms. This program will also yield broader impacts from its computational and modeling plan as well as its educational plan to introduce physical and mathematical modeling into medical school curricula.

生物膜是细菌菌落，其中的生物体是固定的并嵌入碳水化合物聚合物的粘性细胞外基质中。 这些结构中存在的细菌是地球上最普遍的生命形式。 生物膜通常表面粘附且结构不均匀，出现在自然、工业和健康环境中。 生物膜的生物力学具有基础物理科学意义，因为细菌的增殖是由其机械破裂、断裂和破碎引发的。 这种破裂涉及分子和物理相互作用的复杂相互作用，每种相互作用都在生物膜的不同空间尺度上活跃。 通过整合现代计算方法和资源来模拟聚合物的非平衡动力学和聚合物流体的多相流，该项目将确定生物膜破碎的机制。 将解决以下具体研究问题：i）生物膜的生化成分和复合材料结构如何相互作用以控制破碎的临界应力和应变？ ii) 应如何制定基于物理科学的生物膜破碎数学模型，以便分子尺度微生物学和聚合物物理学以及机械应力和应变的连续尺度变化在破碎预测中发挥必要的作用？ iii) 应实施哪些教育议程，以便微生物学家和医生能够有效理解第一原理物理科学和数学建模技术的有用性？回答这些问题需要在应用数学、聚合物动力学的非平衡模拟、微生物学和微观流变学。 成功地做到这一点有望将对细菌生物膜的科学理解从仅仅基于分子生物学的科学理解转变为全面解决行为的分子和物理起源的科学理解。 除了提高对生物膜的理解之外，所开发的方法本身也代表了对许多领域重要的进步，包括在多个尺度上具有不均匀结构的广泛软材料。 这项工作的更广泛影响将是对自然、工业和人类健康应用中的细菌生物膜力学产生新的科学认识。这种理解将对这些不同领域的应用产生积极影响，并可能对与生物膜相关的多种疾病产生新的治疗方法。 该计划还将通过其计算和建模计划以及将物理和数学建模引入医学院课程的教育计划产生更广泛的影响。