Meso-scale modeling, analysis and simulation of bacterial biofilms

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Bacteria, beneficial or pathogenic, tend to colonise surfaces that are immersed in aqueous environments. The cells attach to the surface, become sessile and produce extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) that form a gel-like layer in which the bacteria themselves are embedded. Colony numbers increase by cell division and vivid, highly organised microbial communities (termed biofilms) develop. Bacterial biofilms form wherever environmental conditions are favorable and nutrients are available to sustain microbial life. This ability makes biofilms one of the most successful life forms on earth. Biofilms can benefit engineered systems (mainly in environmental applications such as wastewater treatment, soil remediation, groundwater protection) or can become a threat (e.g, medical, food safety, biofouling, biocorrosion). Despite their name, biofilms do not form in homogeneous layers but they can develop in highly irregular morphologies like cluster-and-channel architectures. It has been recognized, that besides modern high resolution microscopy techniques, mathematical models and computer simulations are also important tools to gain a deeper understanding of the complexity of biofilm processes.