Center for Biofilm Engineering

News Update: 

April, 2007

Volume 10, Issue 4

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Dear Readers,

Our thoughts have been with our friends and colleagues at Virginia Tech who have sustained such a great loss this past week. Montana State University’s flag has been lowered to half-mast in honor of those who lost their lives in this tragedy and President Geoff Gamble has sent a letter of condolence and support to Charles Steger, the University's President, conveying the sympathies of our community.

Even closer has been Anne Camper’s tie with Virginia Tech’s faculty. For the past four years, she has been a part of a VT team of engineers and faculty working on an NSF funded project. One of the team members, Dr. G.V. Loganathan, lost his life in this tragedy.

“I am heartbroken by the loss of G.V., who was part of this team. I came to know him over the past four years during my annual visits to VT for project meetings and the social events that accompanied those meetings. Their team is much like the CBE, with each person being part of the family. I share their grief and sense of loss of G.V.” ~Anne Camper, Associate Dean, College of Engineering and Professor, Civil Engineering, Montana State University

We have highlighted the VT team’s project and members, in an article below.

Diane Williams, Editor

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Research Highlights

An Acknowledgement of Our Colleagues at Virginia Tech

The project the VT team has been working on the past four years is titled "Towards Sustainable Materials Use for Drinking Water Infrastructure." It is funded by NSF. This is an interdisciplinary project designed to solve problems associated with deterioration of plumbing materials in homes and buildings. The anticipated results of the work include: 1) an understanding of how changes in disinfectant type and removal of natural organic matter (in response to current EPA regulations) will alter materials performance, water quality, biological stability and aesthetics, 2) fundamental understanding of chemical and sensory measurement of copper and plastic materials interaction with water, and 3) gaining consumer input on home plumbing and its failures, and development of tools of use for policy makers and citizens to make informed decisions. Project Team: All from Virginia Tech except for Anne Camper from the CBE Andrea M. Dietrich - Civil and Environmental Engineering; Marc Edwards - Civil and Environmental Engineering; G.V. Loganathan (deceased) - Civil and Environmental Engineering; Dietmar Glindemann - Civil and Environmental Engineering; Susan Duncan - Food Science and Technology; Sharon Dwyer - Institute for Community Health Darrell Bosch - Agricultural and Applied Economics; Tamim Younos - Water Resources Research Center; Anne Camper – Civil Engineering, CBE

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New Industrial Associate Members

We are pleased to announce three new Industrial Associate members. 3M and ConvaTec (a division of Bristol-Myers Squibb) have joined as full members, and Bridge Preclinical Testing Services has joined as our first Small Business member.  Designated reps are Jeremy Yarwood from 3M, Steve Percival from ConvaTec and Paul Attar from Bridge. 

See our Industrial Associate member companies

Read more about membership information

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MSU has licensed the PMA Live/Dead Analysis to Qiagen

Qiagen — a worldwide leading provider of sample and assay technologies for life sciences, applied testing and molecular diagnostics — has licensed MSU’s new method for distinguishing between live and dead bacteria in molecular assays. Read more about Qiagen at: http://www1.qiagen.com/Default.aspx

The method could potentially be used in microbial diagnostics to observe the live portion of a broad range of bacterial mixtures when screening for disease-causing microorganisms in food and water; clinical diagnostics; bioterrorism assays; evaluating disinfection efficacy; and testing the sterility of drugs and personal care products. Prior to molecular analysis, the cells are treated with a unique compound and exposed to visible light. This process binds the compound only to the DNA of dead cells so the dead cells are blocked from being read by the assay. Thus, only live cells are observed. The method can be performed in about 10 minutes without any specialized expertise.  Read description (pdf)

Anne Camper and Andreas Nocker were the inventors of the new method. Andreas was instrumental in making the initial contact with Qiagen and working with the MSU Technology Transfer Office on the licensing.

Congratulations to Anne, Andreas and the CBE!

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DOE Award

Principal investigator Joe Seymour and co-principal investigator Sarah Codd received a three year award of $348,460 from the Department of Energy, Office of Science, Office of Biological and Environmental Research. Their project, "Mechanistically Based Field-Scale Models of Uranium Biogeochemistry from Upscaling Pore-Scale Experiments and Models," will be done, in part, with collaborators Timothy D. Scheibe at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory and Brian D. Wood of Oregon State University, who will receive similar amounts.
 

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Latest CBE Publications

“Spatial Patterns of DNA Replication, Protein Synthesis and Oxygen Concentration within Bacterial Biofilms Reveal Diverse Physiological States”

Rani, S.A., B. Pitts, H. Beyenal, R.A. Veluchamy, Z. Lewandowski, W.M. Davison, K. Buckingham-Meyer, P.S. Stewart  

J Bacteriol 2007 Mar 2; [Epub ahead of print]

“The Effect of the Chemical, Biological, and Physical Environment on Quorum Sensing in Structured Microbial Communities”

Horswill, A.R., P. Stoodley, P.S. Stewart, M.R. Parsek

Anal Bioanal Chem 2007; 387:371-380

“A 3D Computer Model Analysis of Three Hypothetical Biofilm Detachment Mechanisms”

Chambless, J.D. and P.S. Stewart

Biotechnol Bioeng Feb 2007; [Epub ahead of print]

“Observations of Cell Cluster Hollowing in Staphylococcus epidermidis Biofilms”

Stewart, P.S., S.A. Rani, E. Gjersing, S.L. Codd, Z. Zheng, B. Pitts

Letters in Applied Microbiology 2007; 44(4): 454-457

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Education

Travel Awards

Also, Melinda Clark was awarded an American Society for Microbiology (ASM) Travel Award ($500) to attend the General Meeting in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, May 21-25, 2007.

ASM awarded travel grants to Benjamin Klayman ($500) and Lynne Leach ($1,000) to attend the ASM Biofilm 2007 conference in Quebec City, Quebec, Canada, March 25-29, 2007. 

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Undergraduate Scholars Program Conference

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CBE People in Action

We’ve been working hard!  Faculty, staff and students from the CBE and other Montana State University departments presented at the American Society for Microbiology (ASM) Biofilms 2007 conference in Quebec City, Canada, March 25-29, 2007.  ASM awarded travel grants to Benjamin Klayman ($500) and Lynne Leach ($1,000).

See the complete ASM Biofilms 2007 program and abstracts (pdf).

See the American Society of Microbiology website at: http://www.asm.org/

Presentations and posters are listed below.

Phil Stewart was a Session Chair for the session on “Prevention and Treatment of Biofilms.” As an invited speaker Phil presented “Visualizing Killing in Biofilms.”

Garth James as an invited speaker presented "Biofilms in Chronic Wounds."

Posters at ASM 2007

"Removal and Control of Biofilms in Dental Unit Waterlines Using Electrolyzed Water,"

A.M. Agostinho, P. Sturman, J. Lambie, A. Camper, P. Elinor, G. James*

"A Multiscale Model of Biofilm as a Senescence -Structured Fluid," B.P. Ayati*, I. Klapper

“Role of Flagella in Mature Biofilms of Desulfovibrio vulgaris Hildenborough,” M.E. Clark*, R.E. Edelmann, M.L. Duley, Z. He, J. Zhou, M.W. Fields

“Contribution of Oxygen to Staphylococcus epidermidis Biofilm Development and Antibiotic Susceptibility," J.J. Cotter, J.P. O’Gara, P.S. Stewart, B. Pitts, E. Casey

“Visualization of Antimicrobial Action in Staphylococcus epidermidis Biofilms,” W.M. Davison*, P.S. Stewart

“The Use of the Drip Flow Reactor as a Dental Biofilm Model System,” E. deLancey-Pulcini*, G. James, E. Hilblom

"Biofilm Formation as a Mycobacterial Stress Response," H. Geier*, S. Mostowy, M.A. Behr, T.E. Ford

“The Necessary Information is in Oasis,” A. Phillips, R. Gerlach*, R. Hiebert, G. James, L. Spangler, A.B. Cunningham

“Investigations of Dormant Cells in Pseudomonas aeruginosa Biofilms,” L.A. Richards, B.L. Grau*, G.D. Ehrlich, and P.S. Stewart. 

"Biofilms in Chronic Wounds," G.A. James*, R. Wolcott, E. Swogger, E. deLancey Pulcini, P. Secor, J. Sestrich, J.W. Costerton, P. S. Stewart

"Optimal Strategy to Control Both Active and Dormant Cells in Biofilm with Various Antimicrobial Agents," J. Kim*, C. Nam, M. Franklin, J. Hahn, J. Yoon

"Modeling Biofilms as Viscoelastic Materials," I. Klapper*, E. Alpkvist, D. Hill

"Escherichia coli O157:H7 Forms Biofilm in Co-culture with Pseudomonas aeruginosa, but not Alone," B.J. Klayman*, P. Stewart, A. Camper

"Development of a Rapid Molecular Technique for Detection of HAA Degraders in Drinking Water Distribution Systems," L.H. Leach*, P. Zhang, A.K. Camper

"Localized Gene Expression Along Vertical Transects of Pseudomonas aeruginosa Biofilms," A.P. Lenz, K. Williamson, B. Pitts, P.S. Stewart, M.J. Franklin

"Development of Fluorescent Reagent Combinations Specific to Biofilm Components,"

B. Pitts*, D. Gray, P. Stewart

"Mobile System for Spectral Imaging of Reflectance and Fluorescence from Environmental Samples at Various Spatial Scales," L. Polerecky*, A. Bissett, P. Suci, P. Stoodley, D. de Beer

"Multispecies Biofilm Development on Space Station Heat Exchanger Core Material,"

B.H. Pyle*, L.M. Vega, S.R. Roth, K.D. Pickering, P.J. Alvarez, M.C. Roman

Molecular Analysis of Chronic Wound Biofilms," P.R. Secor*, E. deLancey Pulcini, R. Wolcott, G. James, P. Stewart

“A 3D Computer Model Analysis of Three Hypothetical Biofilm Detachment Mechanisms,” J.D.  Chambless, P.S. Stewart*

“Spatial Patterns of DNA Replication, Protein Synthesis and Oxygen Concentration within Bacterial Biofilms Reveal Diverse Physiological States”, S. Abdul Rani, B. Pitts, H. Beyenal, R.A. Veluchamy, Z. Lewandowski, K. Buckingham-Meyer, P.S. Stewart*

Characterization of Escherichia coli Biofilm Detachment in Mixed Species Biofilms Grown in Capillary Flow Cells,” P. Volden*, B. Klayman, A. Camper

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Upcoming CBE Workshops

Biofilm Methods Workshop – Technical Advisory Conference
July 23, 2007
This workshop is for CBE’s Industrial Associate members on a first come, first serve basis. If there is space available for more participants, other conference attendees will be invited to join the workshop. Read more about CBE workshops at: http://www.biofilm.montana.edu/Ind-Col99-SW/Workshops/index.htm

“Biofilms Summer School,” organized by the CBE's Biofilm Structure-Function Research Group, is composed of three workshops.
See the details of each workshop at the link below.
July 23 – August 3, 2007
Details: http://www.biofilm.montana.edu/CBEssentials-SW/research/workshops/default.htm

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Web Watch

BiofilmsOnline.com

Visit www.BiofilmsOnline.com for more biofilm news and information.

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