A Microfluidic Platform for Dental Biofilm Growth and Characterization

描述（由申请人提供）：该提案概述了一个旨在设计微流体“口腔芯片”系统的项目，该系统用于研究牙齿生物膜的形成，这一过程不仅与蛀牙有关，而且如果不通过严格的口腔卫生控制，还会引起更严重的全身问题，如心脏病和器官衰竭。通过改变输入氧/氮比、样品流速和附着底物结构和组成（密封剂、粘合剂），微流控芯片将成为非常强大、廉价的工具，用于研究环境条件下基质下不同生物膜的形成。一旦验证，未来的芯片研究将集中在研究破坏生物膜形成的机制，包括修改牙科密封剂的成分，以及使用小分子文库来阻止细菌内的相互作用。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): This proposal outlines a project geared toward the design of a microfluidic "mouth-on-a-chip" system to study dental biofilm formation, a process associated not only with tooth decay, but also more serious systemic problems such as heart disease and organ failure if not kept under control through regimented oral hygiene. By varying the input oxygen/nitrogen ratio, sample flow rates, and the attachment substrate structure and composition (sealants, binders), the microfluidic chips will function as very powerful, inexpensive tools to study differential biofilm formation under a matrix of environmental conditions. Once validated, future research with the chips will focus on investigating mechanisms to disrupt the biofilm formation, including modification of the dental sealant composition, and the use of small molecule libraries to block intrabacterial interactions.