An individual-based GPU simulation framework for collective bacterial dynamics in swarms and biofilms

Thesis: Ph. D., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Mechanical Engineering, 2019

Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Mok, Rachel V.(Rachel Verla)
Other Authors: Jörn Dunkel.
Format: Thesis
Language:eng
Published: Massachusetts Institute of Technology 2019
Subjects:
Online Access:https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/122136
_version_ 1811084279579410432
author Mok, Rachel V.(Rachel Verla)
author2 Jörn Dunkel.
author_facet Jörn Dunkel.
Mok, Rachel V.(Rachel Verla)
author_sort Mok, Rachel V.(Rachel Verla)
collection MIT
description Thesis: Ph. D., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Mechanical Engineering, 2019
first_indexed 2024-09-23T12:48:12Z
format Thesis
id mit-1721.1/122136
institution Massachusetts Institute of Technology
language eng
last_indexed 2024-09-23T12:48:12Z
publishDate 2019
publisher Massachusetts Institute of Technology
record_format dspace
spelling mit-1721.1/1221362019-09-20T03:03:24Z An individual-based GPU simulation framework for collective bacterial dynamics in swarms and biofilms Mok, Rachel V.(Rachel Verla) Jörn Dunkel. Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Mechanical Engineering. Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Mechanical Engineering Mechanical Engineering. Thesis: Ph. D., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Mechanical Engineering, 2019 Cataloged from PDF version of thesis. Includes bibliographical references (pages 121-133). With recent technological advancements, observations and measurements of complex bacterial communities at single-cell resolution are now possible. Guided by these rich experimental data sets, we develop minimal individual-based models to uncover the governing forces driving the dynamics in microbial systems. Our model incorporates the biophysical processes of cell growth and division, viscous drag, bacteria self-propulsion, and mechanical cell-surface and cell-cell interactions through interaction potentials. In particular, our cell-cell interaction potential accounts for hard steric and osmotic repulsion as well as attraction mediated through secreted components which bind cells together. Implementing this model on graphics processing units (GPUs) such that the computational time scales linearly with the system size, we achieve a 10x speedup over a comparable code written on central processing units (CPUs). With this simulation framework, we investigate the collective dynamics of Bacillus subtilis swarm expansion and Vibrio cholerae biofilm formation. Our experimental and numerical results imply that mechanical cell-cell interactions dominate the swarming motility phases and can account for the emergence of order and structure seen in growing biofilms. Furthermore, this model is used to explore the effectiveness of surface topography on deterring biofilm formation by investigating how locally varying boundary curvature impact the scattering and accumulation dynamics of swimming bacteria. This work shows great promise at increasing our understanding of the physics governing microbial communities, which knowledge is essential to control and inhibit bacterial populations. Supported by a James S. McDonnell Foundation Complex Systems Scholar Award, an Edmund F. Kelly Research Award, a MITGermany MISTI seed grant, a MIT ODGE Childbirth Accommodation Fund, a MIT OGE Chyn Duog Shiah Memorial Fellowship, and the MIT Mechanical Engineering Department by Rachel Verla Mok. Ph. D. Ph.D. Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Mechanical Engineering 2019-09-16T21:16:05Z 2019-09-16T21:16:05Z 2019 2019 Thesis https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/122136 1117713879 eng MIT theses are protected by copyright. They may be viewed, downloaded, or printed from this source but further reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written permission. http://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/7582 133 pages application/pdf Massachusetts Institute of Technology
spellingShingle Mechanical Engineering.
Mok, Rachel V.(Rachel Verla)
An individual-based GPU simulation framework for collective bacterial dynamics in swarms and biofilms
title An individual-based GPU simulation framework for collective bacterial dynamics in swarms and biofilms
title_full An individual-based GPU simulation framework for collective bacterial dynamics in swarms and biofilms
title_fullStr An individual-based GPU simulation framework for collective bacterial dynamics in swarms and biofilms
title_full_unstemmed An individual-based GPU simulation framework for collective bacterial dynamics in swarms and biofilms
title_short An individual-based GPU simulation framework for collective bacterial dynamics in swarms and biofilms
title_sort individual based gpu simulation framework for collective bacterial dynamics in swarms and biofilms
topic Mechanical Engineering.
url https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/122136
work_keys_str_mv AT mokrachelvrachelverla anindividualbasedgpusimulationframeworkforcollectivebacterialdynamicsinswarmsandbiofilms
AT mokrachelvrachelverla individualbasedgpusimulationframeworkforcollectivebacterialdynamicsinswarmsandbiofilms