Collaborative Research: Multiscale Analysis and Simulation of Biofilm Mechanics

合作研究：生物膜力学的多尺度分析与模拟

• 批准号: 2313746
• 负责人: Ying Li
• 金额: $ 20.14万
• 依托单位: University of Wisconsin-Madison
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Continuing Grant
• 财政年份: 2023
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2023-02-01 至 2025-08-31
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2313746&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Collaborative; Research; Multiscale; Analysis; Simulation

NON-TECHNICAL SUMMARYOnce thought to live as solitary units, bacteria are now known to communicate with each other and live in lively microbial communities called biofilms. Biofilms can cause severe problems, including medical infections, fouling, and clogging in industrial applications. In contrast, biofilms play beneficial roles in wastewater treatment and microbial fuel cells. Scientists have been able to characterize the chemical components of biofilms but don’t know yet how an active, self-renewable, and self-healing material emerges from these components and their interactions. How can scientists use their vast knowledge of man-made polymers to understand these natural polymers? Are there new physical mechanisms to be discovered in the way bacteria build their biofilm communities? To answer these questions, this project aims to reveal the secrets of how biofilms derive mechanical properties from their individual components by integrating state-of-the-art mechanical measurement, single-cell imaging, and computer simulations. Through these fundamental studies, scientists can design better strategies that either eliminate harmful biofilms or use beneficial biofilms to create useful structures. By integrating multiple disciplines, this project will train a diverse group of students in the areas of biology, physics, materials science, and engineering, and prepare them for the next-generation workforce. The educational objectives of the project will be realized through curriculum development, undergraduate research opportunities, and K-12 outreach programs, with special efforts to involve underrepresented students.TECHNICAL SUMMARYBiofilms are surface-attached communities of bacteria embedded in a matrix made of extracellular polymeric substances (EPSs). The overarching goal of this project is to integrate state-of-the-art mechanical measurement, single-cell imaging, mutagenesis, computer simulations, and soft matter theory to address how, at different time and length scales, bacterial cells build communities with emerging mechanical properties. Specifically, the three research objectives are to (i) establish EPS as associative polymers crosslinked by matrix proteins, (ii) reveal the contribution of bacterial cells to biofilm mechanics, and (iii) measure the development of biofilm mechanics and heterogeneity at the single-cell level. These objectives are accomplished via experiments involving rheological testing, high-resolution imaging, protein biochemistry, bacterial genetics, and multiscale modeling. The broader impacts of this work are to help produce a diverse STEM-capable workforce by incorporating central concepts addressed in this project into education and outreach activities that expose and engage students in biology, materials science, physics, and engineering. The education and outreach activities center on the following three objectives: (i) expanding the Pathways to Science program for local high school students, (ii) incorporating research findings into the curriculum for both undergraduate and graduate courses, and (iii) providing research experiences to underrepresented minority students.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

现在众所周知，非技术摘要被认为是固体单位的，可以彼此交流，并生活在活泼的微生物群落中，称为生物膜。生物膜可能会引起严重的问题，包括医疗感染，污染和工业应用中的堵塞。相反，生物膜在废水处理和微生物燃料电池中起有益作用。科学家已经能够表征生物膜的化学成分，但还不知道这些成分及其相互作用如何产生积极，自我再生和自我修复的材料。科学家如何利用他们对人造聚合物的广泛了解来了解这些天然聚合物？是否可以通过细菌建立生物膜群落来发现新的物理机制？为了回答这些问题，该项目旨在通过整合最先进的机械测量，单细胞成像和计算机模拟来揭示生物膜如何从其各个组件中得出机械性能的秘密。通过这些基本研究，科学家可以设计更好的策略，以消除有害生物膜或使用有益的生物膜来创建有用的结构。通过整合多个学科，该项目将在生物学，物理，材料科学和工程领域培训一群学生群体，并为下一代劳动力做好准备。该项目的教育目标将通过课程开发，本科研究机会和K-12外展计划来实现，并特别努力涉及代表性不足的学生。技术摘要摘要是嵌入了由细胞外聚合物物质的基质中的细菌的表面连接群落（EPSS）。该项目的总体目标是整合最先进的机械测量，单细胞成像，诱变，计算机模拟和软物质理论，以解决在不同的时间和长度尺度上，细菌细胞在具有新兴机械性能的社区中如何建立社区。具体而言，这三个研究目标是（i）建立EPS作为通过基质蛋白交联的缔合聚合物，（ii）揭示了细菌细胞对生物膜力学的贡献，并且（iii）衡量在单细胞水平下生物膜力学和异质性的发展。这些目标是通过涉及流变学测试，高分辨率成像，蛋白质生物化学，细菌遗传学和多尺度建模的实验实现的。这项工作的更广泛的影响是通过在该项目中涉及的教育和外展活动中的集合中心概念来帮助生产潜水员的劳动力，从而揭示了生物学，材料科学，物理学和工程学的学生。教育和宣传活动集中在以下三个目标上：（i）扩大当地高中生的科学课程的途径，（ii）将研究结果纳入本科和研究生课程的课程中，以及（iii）提供研究经验 标准。