CAREER:Fluid Dynamics of bacterial aggregation and formation of biofilm streamers

职业：细菌聚集和生物膜流形成的流体动力学

• 批准号: 1150348
• 负责人: Arezoo Ardekani
• 金额: $ 40万
• 依托单位: University of Notre Dame
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Continuing Grant
• 财政年份: 2012
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2012-06-01 至 2014-08-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1150348&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: CAREER; Fluid; Dynamics; bacterial; aggregation

1150348ArdekaniBiofilms cost the U.S. billions of dollars every year due to human and animal infections, product contamination, and biofouling of membranes. Deep subsurface biofilms can be used for enhanced oil recovery and carbon sequestration in addition to bioremediation of contaminants in groundwater. Despite widespread implications of biofilms, the underlying hydrodynamics of bacterial aggregation that eventually leads to formation of biofilm streamers are currently unknown. Intellectual Merit: Properties of bacteria-produced extracellular polymeric substances consisting of a filamentous network of macromolecules surrounded in a fluid play an important role in biofilm formation. In order to understand biofilm formation and growth, the dynamics of bacterial aggregation at ecologically relevant spatiotemporal scales in the presence of flow while interacting with extracellular polymeric substances must be studied. This is a challenge largely unanswered to date. The proposed research will employ state-of-the-art three-dimensional computational fluid dynamics and experimental techniques to transform our understanding of bacterial aggregation due to flow field, bacteria shape, bacteria motility and rheological properties of extracellular polymer. The literature shows that rigid particles ranging in sizes from microns to centimeters robustly aggregate in different flows of viscoelastic fluids. The proposed research investigates a hypothesis that motile microorganisms in viscoelastic fluids undergo strong hydrodynamic forces that result in their aggregation to the surfaces and/or each other. The fundamental knowledge about the aggregation of bacteria in the presence of flow in such complex fluids can transform our understanding of these microbial processes and advance the ability to control biofilm formation. Broader Impact: The implications of this research extend to important biological, environmental, and oceanographic applications. Understanding of bacterial aggregation and formation of biofilms is crucial for human health and environmental control. Additionally, the ability to systematically investigate the interaction of bacteria using computational fluid dynamics, while capturing its detailed 3D response in complex fluids, is essential for correctly predicting the future state of the pathogen colonization in mucosal tissues and tracts. The proposed activity will significantly contribute to interdisciplinary training of the next generation of scientists and engineers. This grant will provide support for training of two graduate students fostering the development of state-of-the-art tools in the PI's laboratory. A new graduate course will be developed to integrate the research into graduate education. This interdisciplinary research will be used as a platform to attract diverse groups such as women and underrepresented minorities. The PI will lead an engineering education partnership with the Engineering and Technology Magnet Program for the South Bend (Indiana) Community School Corporation at Riley High School that focuses on restoring an aquatic ecosystem of a local creek by controlling Escherichia coli levels. The work will include hands-on experiments and projects for the students with the purpose of reinforcing basic principles of engineering analysis and design. By taking advantage of established articulation relationships, female and underrepresented minority undergraduate students from the all women's Saint Mary's and two Historically Black Colleges will be trained in experimental and mathematical aspects of the proposed research.

1150348Ardekanibiofilms由于人类和动物感染，产品污染和膜的生物污染，每年花费美国数十亿美元。除了地下水中污染物的生物修复外，深地下生物膜还可以用于增强油回收率和碳固执。尽管生物膜的广泛意义，但目前尚不清楚细菌聚集的潜在流体动力学最终导致生物膜流的形成。智力优点：细菌产生的细胞外聚合物物质的特性，该物质由液体中的大分子丝网络组成，这些大分子包围着液体，在生物膜形成中起着重要作用。为了理解生物膜的形成和生长，必须研究在存在流动的同时与细胞外聚合物物质相互作用的生态相关时空尺度上细菌聚集的动力学。迄今为止，这是一个挑战。拟议的研究将采用最先进的三维计算流体动力学和实验技术来改变我们对流动场，细菌形状，细菌运动和细胞外聚合物的流变特性所引起的细菌聚集的理解。文献表明，在粘弹性流体的不同流动中，刚性的刚性颗粒的大小从微米到厘米稳健地聚集。拟议的研究调查了一个假设，即粘弹性流体中的运动微生物具有强大的流体动力，从而导致它们聚集到表面和/或彼此。在这种复杂的流体中存在流动中细菌聚集的基本知识可以改变我们对这些微生物过程的理解，并提高控制生物膜形成的能力。更广泛的影响：这项研究的含义扩展到重要的生物学，环境和海洋应用。了解细菌聚集和生物膜的形成对于人类健康和环境控制至关重要。此外，使用计算流体动力学系统地研究细菌相互作用的能力，同时捕获其在复杂流体中详细的3D反应，对于正确预测粘膜组织和裂纹中病原体定殖的未来状态至关重要。拟议的活动将极大地有助于对下一代科学家和工程师的跨学科培训。这项赠款将为培训两名研究生的培训提供支持，以促进PI实验室中最先进的工具的开发。将开发一项新的研究生课程，以将研究纳入研究生教育。这项跨学科研究将被用作吸引妇女和代表性不足的少数群体等不同群体的平台。 PI将在赖利高中（Riley High School）的南本德（Indiana）社区学校公司的工程和技术磁铁计划中领导工程教育合作伙伴关系，该公司专注于通过控制大肠杆菌水平来恢复本地溪流的水生生态系统。这项工作将包括针对学生的实验实验和项目，目的是加强工程分析和设计的基本原则。通过利用既定的表达关系，来自所有妇女圣玛丽和两个历史悠久的黑人学院的女性和代表性不足的少数族裔本科生将接受拟议研究的实验和数学方面的培训。