Speaker: Zhang Qiuting, Beijing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics

Time: 13:00-14:00 p.m., March 18, 2024, GMT+8

Venue: B101, Lui Che-woo Building, PKU

Abstract: 

Biofilms are surface-associated bacterial communities embedded in an extracellular matrix. Bacterial biofilms can cause chronic infections and they clog pipes and filters in industry. In many conditions, biofilms grow inside a structured, confined environment. However, despite the importance of the bacteria-environment interaction, little is known as to how mechanical confinement interferes with the biofilm developmental program and how the proliferation of biofilm cells, in turn, deforms or even damages the surrounding environments as feedback to control the biofilm growth. In this presentation, using Vibrio cholerae as a model biofilm former, we reveal the biophysical and biomechanical principles underlying biofilm formation, from a soft matter perspective. We present technique to image living, growing bacterial biofilms from single founder cells to ten thousand cells at single-cell resolution. Moving to more medically relevant environments, we investigate the mechanical feedback between biofilm growth and environmental deformation, at both the continuum level and single-cell level.

Source: School of Life Sciences, PKU