Material properties of biofilms—key methods for understanding permeability and mechanics
Microorganisms can form biofilms, which are multicellular communities surrounded by a hydrated extracellular matrix of polymers. Central properties of the biofilm are governed by this extracellular matrix, which provides mechanical stability to the 3D biofilm structure, regulates the ability of the...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | en_US |
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IOP Publishing
2016
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| Online Access: | http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/101766 https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8260-338X https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0917-0754 https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8717-7049 |
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| author | Billings, Nicole Birjiniuk, Alona Ribbeck, Katharina Samad, Tahoura Sajida Doyle, Patrick S. |
| author2 | Harvard University--MIT Division of Health Sciences and Technology |
| author_facet | Harvard University--MIT Division of Health Sciences and Technology Billings, Nicole Birjiniuk, Alona Ribbeck, Katharina Samad, Tahoura Sajida Doyle, Patrick S. |
| author_sort | Billings, Nicole |
| collection | MIT |
| description | Microorganisms can form biofilms, which are multicellular communities surrounded by a hydrated extracellular matrix of polymers. Central properties of the biofilm are governed by this extracellular matrix, which provides mechanical stability to the 3D biofilm structure, regulates the ability of the biofilm to adhere to surfaces, and determines the ability of the biofilm to adsorb gases, solutes, and foreign cells. Despite their critical relevance for understanding and eliminating of biofilms, the materials properties of the extracellular matrix are understudied. Here, we offer the reader a guide to current technologies that can be utilized to specifically assess the permeability and mechanical properties of the biofilm matrix and its interacting components. In particular, we highlight technological advances in instrumentation and interactions between multiple disciplines that have broadened the spectrum of methods available to conduct these studies. We review pioneering work that furthers our understanding of the material properties of biofilms. |
| first_indexed | 2024-09-23T07:59:30Z |
| format | Article |
| id | mit-1721.1/101766 |
| institution | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
| language | en_US |
| last_indexed | 2024-09-23T07:59:30Z |
| publishDate | 2016 |
| publisher | IOP Publishing |
| record_format | dspace |
| spelling | mit-1721.1/1017662022-09-23T10:08:16Z Material properties of biofilms—key methods for understanding permeability and mechanics Material properties of biofilms—a review of methods for understanding permeability and mechanics Billings, Nicole Birjiniuk, Alona Ribbeck, Katharina Samad, Tahoura Sajida Doyle, Patrick S. Harvard University--MIT Division of Health Sciences and Technology Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Biological Engineering Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Chemical Engineering Billings, Nicole Birjiniuk, Alona Samad, Tahoura Sajida Doyle, Patrick S. Ribbeck, Katharina Microorganisms can form biofilms, which are multicellular communities surrounded by a hydrated extracellular matrix of polymers. Central properties of the biofilm are governed by this extracellular matrix, which provides mechanical stability to the 3D biofilm structure, regulates the ability of the biofilm to adhere to surfaces, and determines the ability of the biofilm to adsorb gases, solutes, and foreign cells. Despite their critical relevance for understanding and eliminating of biofilms, the materials properties of the extracellular matrix are understudied. Here, we offer the reader a guide to current technologies that can be utilized to specifically assess the permeability and mechanical properties of the biofilm matrix and its interacting components. In particular, we highlight technological advances in instrumentation and interactions between multiple disciplines that have broadened the spectrum of methods available to conduct these studies. We review pioneering work that furthers our understanding of the material properties of biofilms. National Institutes of Health (U.S.) (National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences Training Grant in Toxicology 5 T32 ES7020-37) Hugh Hampton Young Memorial Fellowship National Institutes of Health (U.S.) (National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (U.S.) F30 Fellowship 1F30AI110053-01) Singapore-MIT Alliance for Research and Technology National Institutes of Health (U.S.) (Grant R01 EB017755) National Science Foundation (U.S.). Graduate Research Fellowship (Grant 1122374) Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Charles E. Reed Faculty Initiative Fund 2016-03-24T14:06:11Z 2016-03-24T14:06:11Z 2015-02 2014-02 Article http://purl.org/eprint/type/JournalArticle 0034-4885 1361-6633 http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/101766 Billings, Nicole, Alona Birjiniuk, Tahoura S Samad, Patrick S Doyle, and Katharina Ribbeck. “Material Properties of Biofilms—a Review of Methods for Understanding Permeability and Mechanics.” Reports on Progress in Physics 78, no. 3 (February 1, 2015): 036601. https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8260-338X https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0917-0754 https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8717-7049 en_US http://dx.doi.org/10.1088/0034-4885/78/3/036601 Reports on Progress in Physics Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/ application/pdf IOP Publishing PMC |
| spellingShingle | Billings, Nicole Birjiniuk, Alona Ribbeck, Katharina Samad, Tahoura Sajida Doyle, Patrick S. Material properties of biofilms—key methods for understanding permeability and mechanics |
| title | Material properties of biofilms—key methods for understanding permeability and mechanics |
| title_full | Material properties of biofilms—key methods for understanding permeability and mechanics |
| title_fullStr | Material properties of biofilms—key methods for understanding permeability and mechanics |
| title_full_unstemmed | Material properties of biofilms—key methods for understanding permeability and mechanics |
| title_short | Material properties of biofilms—key methods for understanding permeability and mechanics |
| title_sort | material properties of biofilms key methods for understanding permeability and mechanics |
| url | http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/101766 https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8260-338X https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0917-0754 https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8717-7049 |
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