MATBFOB · MAThematical modelling of Biofilm FOrmation on Biomaterials
Horizon 2020 — Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions
- Duration
- 2021-09-01 → 2024-08-31
- EU contribution
- €337,401
- Participants
- 1
- Scheme
- MSCA-IF
Lines connect the coordinator with its partners.
Results in brief
MAThematical modelling of Biofilm FOrmation on Biomaterials
Problem being addressed: Biofilms play a pivotal role in healthcare-associated infections, especially those related to indwelling medical devices, such as intra-vascular and urinary catheters, cardiac pacemakers and orthopaedic implants. Many mathematical models have been developed to simulate and elucidate the main processes characterizing biofilm growth. The proposed project consists of a brief and precise experimental part for investigating the initiation and progression of biofilm formation of pathogenic bacteria on implant surfaces through real-time monitoring and subsequent modelling of the stages of bacterial adhesion and biofilm formation. Important for society Biofilms can cause infections in healthcare settings, such as urinary tract infections, breast implant infections, and catheter-related bloodstream infections. Biofilm formation on implant surfaces shelters the bacteria and encourages persistence of infection. Furthermore, implant-infecting bacteria can elude innate and adaptive host defences as well as biocides and antibiotic chemotherapies. For the above reasons, exploring fundamental adhesion mechanisms of biofilm forming bacteria on a spectrum of implant materials is imperative for the development of innovative routes of preventive and therapeutic strategies of biofilm negation. Hence the proposed research is deemed to have a significant societal impact in terms of global health and wellbeing. Overall objectives: The experimental observations will be used to mathematically model the process of growth of biofilm on a biomaterial surface, considering the effect of interactions of microbes with specific substrates. The proposed research will help us to gain these understanding through the development of experimental observation based modelling approach considering the effect of substrate microbe interactions. Such realistic models can be used to design the most suitable and smart implant surfaces, capable of negating bacterial adhesion and biofilm formation.
Data: CORDIS, © European Union
Project objective
Biofilms play a pivotal role in healthcare-associated infections, especially those related to indwelling medical devices, such as intra-vascular and urinary catheters, cardiac pacemakers and orthopaedic implants. Many mathematical models have been developed to simulate and elucidate the main processes characterizing biofilm growth. Biofilm models have been widely acknowledged as a tool for fundamental understanding of wastewater treatment processes, the morphology of biofilm structures and for deciphering the manner in which they originate through the interaction of a couple of factors like: mass transfer, nutrient availability, detachment forces etc. However there has been very little or no endeavour to develop a suitable model for understanding the exact stages of microbial adhesion on biomaterials and the process of gradual establishment of microbial colonies on medical devices, considering the effect of substrate-microbe interactions . The proposed project consists of a brief and precise experimental part for investigating the initiation and progression of biofilm formation of Pseudomonas aeruginosa, a nosocomial pathogen, on implant surfaces through real-time monitoring. The experimental observations will be used to mathematically model the process of growth of biofilm on a biomaterial surface, considering the effect of interactions of microbes with a specific substrate and the rate of nutrient uptake.The project will employ currently used mathematical tools to model the spatio-temporal dynamics of biofilm formation of Pseudomonas aeruginosa on different biomaterial surfaces.The model will help in visualising the manner and the rate at which bacterial infections can spread on a particular surface and correlate it with the surface properties. This will be the initiation of - model guided substrate design of implants- a brand new concept for implant manufacturers, orthopaedic surgeons, biomaterial scientists, microbiologists and biofilm modellers.
Original text from CORDIS.
Participants
- THE UNIVERSITY OF EXETER · ExeterCoordinatorUnited Kingdom
Links
Data: CORDIS, © European Union