Investigation of Biofilms Using Microfluidic Systems

了解生物膜与其环境之间的相互作用对于生物学、水质、石油管道、食品加工和医学至关重要，因为细菌可以迅速适应环境线索。拟议的研究计划旨在研究细胞动力学的背景下，生物膜使用微流体系统。研究结果将在分子和细胞水平上深入了解细胞信号传导的功能方面，从而将导致新的微流体平台技术。生物膜及其生物过程的研究为生物工程系统的应用和器件的开发提供了新的途径。 了解细菌的粘附动力学和生物膜的时空发展，将有助于防止生物污损的新型生物医学表面设计。将探讨流体通道内的纳米图案化表面设计和分子线索交换的表面功能的基本方面。将使用微流控平台从抗生素敏感性研究中创建尿路致病性、食物致病性和假体感染菌株的抗微生物耐药性谱。研究成果将在生物能源、生物修复、环境和食品质量监测等领域产生新的概念和创新的高价值产品。研究发现，如医疗诊断设备，现场部署的微流体系统，和新的表面增强生物医疗仪器预计作为成果，从而将提高加拿大的经济。

Understanding the interaction between the biofilms and their environment is fundamental to biology, water quality, oil pipelining, food processing, and medicine, because bacteria can rapidly adapt to environmental cues. The proposed research program aims to study cellular dynamics in the context of biofilms using microfluidic systems. The results of the research will create insights into the functional aspects of cellular signalling at the molecular and cellular level, and thereby will lead to novel microfluidic platform technologies. The investigation of biofilms and the biological processes provides new approaches for developing applications and devices in biological engineering systems. Knowledge of adhesion kinetics of bacteria, and spatio-temporal development of biofilm will aid in the novel bio-medical surface design for preventing biofouling. Fundamental aspects of the nanopatterned surface design inside fluidic channels and the surface functionality on the exchange of molecular cues will be explored. Anti-microbial resistance profiles for uropathogenic, food pathogenic, and prosthetic infectious strains will be created from the antibiotic susceptibility studies using microfluidic platforms. The research results will generate new concepts and innovative high-value products in sectors such as bioenergy, bioremediation, environmental and food quality monitoring. Research discoveries such as health care diagnostic devices, field deployable microfluidic systems, and novel surface enhanced bio-medical instruments are expected as outcomes, and thereby will enhance the economy of Canada.