IDBR: TYPE A: Large-scale CMOS electrochemical imagers for the study of metabolites in multcellular films

哥伦比亚大学因开发电化学成像芯片（EIC）而获奖，该芯片的目的是研究微生物生物膜中的氧化还原活性分子。EIC平台对了解生物膜的形成具有广泛的意义，并可用于干扰生物膜的发育。在自然、工业和临床环境中，生物膜中微生物引起的氧化还原转化通常决定了生态系统的整体功能及其对环境的影响。例子包括盐沼中细菌催化的硫化合物转化，微生物引起的石油管道腐蚀，以及消化道中群落的发酵代谢。此外，生物膜的形成是建立许多不同类型感染的关键步骤，并增强抗生素耐药性，加剧了治疗此类感染的挑战。这项研究还将支持教育和推广工作，将该仪器纳入细菌生理学和生物膜形成的新课程，赞助本科生暑期研究，以及K-12推广计划。迄今为止，最复杂的工程系统是利用硅互补金属氧化物半导体（CMOS）技术的集成电路（IC），该技术在计算和通信应用领域引发了一场全球技术革命。在这个项目中，我们将使用CMOS IC技术创建一种新型仪器，能够对与芯片接触的平面多细胞结构进行高空间和时间分辨率的电化学成像。特别是，我们将研究(1)非那嗪，一类由铜绿假单胞菌生物膜产生的氧化还原活性抗生素，其结构和化学性质不同，对群落形态发生具有个性化和剧烈的影响；(2)一氧化氮（NO），它是铜绿假单胞菌（P. aeruginosa）反硝化过程中的中间体，当环境中硝酸盐可用时，这一代谢过程也会影响菌落形态的形成。一氧化氮与多种生物的多细胞行为和发育有关。该合同是由两个项目联合授予的，(1)生物基础设施部（生物科学理事会）的生物研究仪器开发，以及(2)化学、生物工程、环境和运输系统部（工程理事会）的生物技术、生化和生物质工程项目。

An award is made to Columbia University to develop an electrochemical imager chip (EIC) whose purpose it is to study redox-active molecules in microbial biofilms. The EIC platform will have broad significance in understanding biofilm formation and may be used to interfere with biofilm development. In natural, industrial, and clinical settings, the redox transformations caused by microbes in biofilms often determine the overall functionality of an ecosystem and its environmental impact. Examples include sulfur compound transformations catalyzed by bacteria in salt marshes, microbially induced corrosion of oil pipelines, and the fermentative metabolisms of communities in the digestive tract. Furthermore, biofilm formation is a critical step in the establishment of many different types of infections and one that enhances antibiotic resistance, exacerbating the challenge of treating such infections. This research will also support education and outreach efforts by incorporating this instrument into a new course on bacterial physiology and biofilm formation, sponsorship of summer research by undergraduates, and a K-12 outreach program.The most complex engineered systems to-date are integrated circuits (IC) exploiting silicon complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) technology, which has spawned a global technology revolution in computing and communications applications. In this project, we will use CMOS IC technology to create a new type of instrument capable of high spatial- and temporal-resolution electrochemical imaging of planar multicellular structures that are placed in contact with the chip. In particular, we will study (1) phenazines, a class of redox-active antibiotics produced by Pseudomonas aeruginosa biofilms, which vary in structure and chemical properties and have individualized, drastic effects on community morphogenesis; and (2) nitric oxide (NO), an intermediate in P. aeruginosa denitrification, a metabolic process that also affects colony morphogenesis when nitrate is made available in the environment. NO has been implicated in multicellular behavior and development in diverse organisms.This award is being made jointly by two Programs- (1) Instrument Development for Biological Research, in the Division of Biological Infrastructure (Biological Sciences Directorate), and (2) the Biotechnology, Biochemical, and Biomass Engineering Program, Division of Chemical, Bioengineering, Environmental and Transport Systems (Engineeing Directorate).