Center for Biofilm Engineering

News Update: 

May, 2004

Volume 7, Issue 5

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Research Highlights

Magnetic Resonance Microscopy of Biofilms

Paper Spotlight by Joseph Seymour and Sarah Cod

     Direct measurement of transport phenomena within and around biofilms presents an experimental challenge due in part to their three-dimensional structure and opacity. While video of two-dimensional flow cells has provided significant information about the flow patterns around biofilms, and microelectrode and other techniques have probed diffusion of nutrients and tracers within biofilms, there is still a need for more data to test and develop quantitative models of coupled mass and momentum transport in biofilms. Magnetic Resonance Microscopy (MRM) is high resolution Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), a noninvasive and nondestructive technique capable of probing inside opaque systems.
     This paper demonstrates the ability of MRM to use the restricted motion of water molecules within the extracellular polymeric substance to identify regions of biomass and to quantitatively measure the bulk fluid velocity in a bioreactor. This paper from the MRM Laboratory in the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering at Montana State University-Bozeman, along with recent work from The Fraunhofer Institute in Germany and Pacific Northwest National Laboratory in Richland, Washington, establishes magnetic resonance methods to assist in understanding biofilms. A key result of the paper is the direct measurement of the impact of Staphylococcus epidermidis biofilm growth on the three-dimensional velocity distribution within a square bioreactor flow cell.
    The potential for MRM methods to impact biofilm research is significant, since spatially resolved molecular dynamics and chemical-selective spectroscopy can be used to non-invasively probe transport simultaneously. MRM techniques based on robust permanent magnet systems are becoming well established in field applications, such as geophysical oil exploration and industrial process control, and provide a means for the development of biofilm sensors.
 

Reference:

Magnetic resonance microscopy of biofilm structure and impact on transport in a capillary bioreactor
Joseph D. Seymour, Sarah L. Codd, Erica L. Gjersing and Philip S. Stewart
Journal of Magnetic Resonance 167(2):322-327 2004
Cover Image: Velocity maps of water flowing though a biofilm as described in the article
 

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Awards

Magnetic Resonance Microscopy Laboratory Receives NSF Awards

Drs. Joseph Seymour and Sara Codd received the highly competitive NSF ADVANCE Fellowship and the NSF CAREER Award, respectively.  They co-direct and operate the Magnetic Resonance Microscopy Laboratory at Montana State University — Bozeman. 

See complete story

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Provost's Award for Undergraduate Research/Creativity Mentoring
 

Philip Stewart, deputy director of the MSU Center for Biofilm Engineering and professor of engineering, has been awarded the inaugural Provost's Award for Undergraduate Research/Creativity Mentoring. He will receive a $2,000 honorarium.

See complete story

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Mine Tailings Research

In Montana, about 20,000 abandoned mine sites leach acids into waterways, damaging an estimated 1,000 miles of streams. Researchers from Montana State University have set out to lessen the toxic effects of mine waste -- using cheese whey and molasses.

Paul Sturman, an engineer with MSU's Center for Biofilm Engineering, has collected toxic mine waste from four sites.

See full MSU News Service story, Molasses and Whey Mix with Mine Tailings

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Standard Methods Updates

Kelli Buckingham-Meyer and Darla Goeres were appointed as advisors to the Working Group on Reagent Water for NCCLS, a global consensus standardization organization for health technologies.
 

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Darla Goeres submitted a method title "Standard Test Method for the Quantification of a Pseudomonas aeruginosa Biofilm Grown with High Shear and Continuous Flow using a CDC Biofilm Reactor" to ASTM (American Society for Testing & Materials) subcommittee E35.15 at the April 19 - 21 meeting in Salt Lake City.

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Welcome New Industrial Members

Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) is a research group that represents power plant operators. Their main concern with biofilms is in power plant (particularly nuclear) cooling systems. Albert Machiels, Senior Area Manager, will be the designated company representative. See EPRI’s homepage

Cumbre, Inc. is a drug discovery company based in Austin, TX. Timothy Morris, Senior Scientist, will be the designated company representative. See Cumbre's homepage

Diversa, based in San Diego, develops commercial enzymes for pharmaceutical, agricultural, and chemical markets. Janne Kerovuo, Staff Scientist II, will be the designated company representative. See Diversa's homepage
 

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Upcoming Technical Advisory Conference

CBE Industrial Associates will be attending this summer’s conference, June 29th-July 1st.
Non-member companies who would like an invitation to the meeting should contact Paul Sturman, paul_stu@erc.montana.edu. The conference keynote speaker will be Bonnie Bassler, from Princeton, NJ. The conference agenda will be posted on the CBE web pages soon.

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Upcoming Workshops

Biofilm structure quantification and image analysis
July 22–23, 2004
http://www.erc.montana.edu/CBEssentials-SW/research/workshops/default.htm

Microsensors: Manufacture and applications
August 9–13, 2004
http://www.erc.montana.edu/CBEssentials-SW/research/workshops/detailsmicro.htm
 

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Media Highlights

International Reach:

Sprechen Sie “Biofilm?”

The German popular science magazine PM Magazin (monthly circulation: 450,000) published an article about biofilm by Marianne Oertl in its May 2004 issue: Bakterien reden miteinander. Aber worüber? (Translated title: “Bacteria talk with one another. But about what?”) that features graphics supplied by the Center for Biofilm Engineering.

The PM Magazin website introduction to the article also contained a link to the CBE’s “Multicellular Strategies” interactive web module that introduces viewers to biofilm concepts and CBE research.

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Education

NSF Graduate Fellowship Award

Bozeman senior Cory Rupp is among about 1,000 students nationwide who received a National Science Foundation Graduate Fellowship, worth $121,500 over three years.

The fellowship covers $10,500 a year in tuition and includes a $30,000 annual stipend, which will allow the Billings native to pursue both a master's and Ph.D. in mechanical engineering at the University of Colorado at Boulder.

"The best part of my years here at Montana State University are my three years doing research in the Center for Biofilm Engineering," said Rupp who graduates in May in mechanical engineering. "It's there that I learned not only the mechanics of biofilms, which are colonies of bacteria, but how to do research, thus enhancing my engineering and scientific education."

See the full MSU News Services story at:
http://www.erc.montana.edu/Res-Lib99-SW/newsarchives/HTML/2004/Rupp_MSUNews.htm

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Visitor

Albert Jacobs, a PhD student from Lyon, France, will be visiting April through June and working in the Control lab with Phil Stewart’s team.  Albert has constructed some reporter strains in E. coli and will be growing them in biofilms to investigate spatial patterns of activity.   

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CBE People in Action

Several undergraduate students presented their biofilm-related research projects at the Undergraduate Scholars Conference, Montana State University, April 13, 2004.

Elizabeth Sandvik presented “Optimization of a Model Hot Tub System for Mycobacterium fortuitum.” PI: Darla Goeres (CBE)
Brad Pascoe presented “Hypertextbooks for the Theory of Computation and Biofilms” PI: Rockford Ross (Computer Science)
Conrad Donovan presented a poster titled “Remote Chemical Sensor Powered by Microbial Fuel Cell.” PI: Zbigniew Lewandowski (CBE)
Travis Nelson presented a poster titled “Influence of Solution Chemistry on the Reactivity of 2,4,6-Trinitrotoluene with Zero-Valent Iron.” PI: Robin Gerlach (CBE)
Sarah Golden presented a poster titled “Factors Affecting Toxic Shock Syndrome Toxin (TSST-1) Expression in a Biofilm of Staphylococcus aureus.” PI: Zbigniew Lewandowski (CBE)
Alison Ziegler presented a poster titled “Control of Biofilms by Natural Product.” PI: Mark Pasmore (formerly CBE)
Ellen Swogger presented a poster titled “Bacterial Biofilms in Sinusitis.” PI: Mark Pasmore (formerly CBE)

Anne Camper, presented “Biofilms and Bioterrorism,” at the Army Research Office Biosciences Workshop, Cashiers, NC, April 24-28, 2004

Joe Seymour was invited to present "Magnetic Resonance Microscopy of Scale Dependent Transport Phenomena: Porous Media, Biofilms and Microfluidics,” Dept of Chemical and Petroleum Engineering’s weekly seminar, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS, April 28, 2004.

J.W. Costerton, as featured speaker, presented "Identifying and Addressing Important and Unmet Imaging Needs in Environmental and Health Sciences," at the Biofilm Imaging Workshop, Pacific Northwest National Labs, Richland, WA, April 26-30, 2004.

Phil Stewart was invited to present “Controlling Biofilms,” Colgate-Palmolive, Piscataway, NJ, April 30, 2004

Anne Camper presented “Biofilm and Corrosion,” at the Towards Sustainable Materials Use for Drinking Water Infrastructure annual project meeting at Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, May 21-22, 2004
 

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Recent Web Updates

Check the Recent Web Updates link located on the CBE home page, to view the latest information posted on the CBE web.

See http://www.erc.montana.edu/Recent%20Web%20Updates/default.htm

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See the BiofilmsOnline.com May issue at http://www.BiofilmsOnline.com.

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