Novel 3D printing technique to engineer biofilms

Date:
December 2, 2021
Source:
University of Rochester
Summary:
Biologists are studying how engineered biofilms closely mimic
natural ones. Their research may aid in developing drugs to
fight the negative effects of these microorganisms that adhere
to surfaces.



FULL STORY ==========================================================================
Anne S. Meyer, an associate professor of biology at the University of Rochester, and her collaborators at Delft University of Technology in
the Netherlands, recently developed a 3D printing technique to engineer
and study biofilms -- three-dimensional communities of microorganisms,
such as bacteria, that adhere to surfaces. The research provides important information for creating synthetic materials and in developing drugs to
fight the negative effects of biofilms.


========================================================================== Biofilms can be both harmful and beneficial to humans: they can coat
the surfaces of materials and objects, including medical devices,
and cause infections, and they are resistant to many drugs and
disinfectants. However, biofilms are able to degrade toxic chemicals and environmental pollutants, making them useful in areas such as wastewater treatment.

In their latest research, published in the journal ACS Synthetic Biology,
Meyer and her colleagues show that engineered biofilms can behave like
natural ones.

The researchers developed a 3D printing technique that allows them
to synthetically engineer and study biofilms made of Escherichia coli
(E. coli) bacteria. The technique will allow researchers to better study
the properties of biofilms so they can harness their beneficial aspects
and combat their harmful effects.

"This paper shows that our engineered biofilms can behave like native
biofilms in many ways -- including displaying emergent drug resistance
-- making them good model systems for anti-biofilm drug development,"
Meyer says.

The work is the latest in a series of research efforts led by Meyer's lab
to develop synthetic materials that mimic nature. The materials have a
variety of applications in the energy, medical, technology, and fashion sectors. The Meyer group has used bacteria to develop artificial nacre
and graphene and has additionally developed other 3D printing techniques, including a novel bioprinting technique to print algae into living, photosynthetic materials.

========================================================================== Story Source: Materials provided by University_of_Rochester. Note:
Content may be edited for style and length.


========================================================================== Journal Reference:
1. Srikkanth Balasubramanian, Kui Yu, Diana Vasquez Cardenas, Marie-Eve
Aubin-Tam, Anne S. Meyer. Emergent Biological Endurance Depends on
Extracellular Matrix Composition of Three-Dimensionally Printed
Escherichia coli Biofilms. ACS Synthetic Biology, 2021; 10 (11):
2997 DOI: 10.1021/acssynbio.1c00290 ==========================================================================

Link to news story: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/12/211202141614.htm

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