The Matrix of Resistance

Biofilms, complex microbial communities encased in a self-produced extracellular matrix, represent a significant challenge in various environments, particularly in clinical settings where they cause persistent and chronic infections. Within this matrix, bacterial extracellular DNA (eDNA) has emerged as a fundamental component, playing diverse roles in attachment, aggregation, stabilization, and maturation. Importantly, eDNA serves as a key mediator of antibiotic resistance, shielding bacterial communities and facilitating the horizontal transfer of resistance genes.

The focus of this project is on biofilm streamers - suspended filamentous bacterial biofilms prevalent in flowing systems - where eDNA serves as the backbone of these structures, essential for their formation and stability.

The project will encompass two primary objectives:

The first will investigate the shape and physical traits of biofilm streamers through cutting-edge microfluidic setups featuring isolated cylindrical structures to control their growth, alongside analyzing their chemical composition, and assessing how varying flow conditions affect them.
The second objective will compare how biofilm streamers and surface-attached biofilms respond to antibiotics, looking at biofilm removal and bacterial survival rates.
This approach will shed light on the mechanisms underpinning antibiotic resistance in biofilms, with significant implications for infection control strategies.

The Mid-Career Award for researchers is important because it fills a gap in the research funding landscape, providing crucial support to those in an intermediate position between the (more common) opportunities for early-career researchers and senior-level recognition.