photos of people doing research at lab bench and in the field

CBE RESEARCH

  • is motivated by industrial concerns and involvement of industry partners;
  • is conducted at multiple scales of observation, from molecular to field-scale;
  • involves interdisciplinary investigations;
  • provides relevant research opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students;
  • is enhanced by productive collaborations with researchers at other institutions;
  • is funded by competitive grants and industrial memberships; and
  • produces both fundamental and applied results.

The CBE's long history of research success results from adaptability to new information and analytical technologies and flexibility in addressing biofilm issues in comprehensive ways, using its deep bench of MSU researchers with diverse specialties in biofilm studies. Discover the breadth and depth of the CBE's research team by exploring our Affiliated Faculty.

APPLIED RESEARCH AREAS & PROJECTS

  • Biofilm control strategies: antimicrobial efficacy | biocides | bioelectric effect | disinfectants | inhibitory coatings | bioactive compound
  • Energy solutions: biofuels | product souring | coalbed methane production | microbial fuel cells
  • Environmental technologies: bioremediation | wetlands | CO2 sequestration | biobarriers | biomineralization | microbes & mining issue
  • Health/medical biofilms: chronic wound healing | catheter infections | oral health | food safety
  • Industrial systems & processes: biofouling | biocorrosion | product contamination | microbe-metal interaction
  • Standardized methods: product claims | regulatory issues | ASTM methods acceptance
  • Water systems: drinking water quality | premise plumbing | water treatment | distribution systems

FUNDAMENTAL TOPICS

  • Biofilms in nature: microbes in hot & cold environments | role of biofilms in natural processes | biomimetics | biogeochemistry
  • Cellular/intracellular: phenotype | genetics | metabolic pathways | proteomics
  • Multicellular/extracellular: flow and transport in biofilm systems | material properties | quorum sensing | structure-function | heterogeneities | matrix
  • Ecology/physiology: population characterization | spatial and temporal population dynamics | anaerobic systems

ANALYTICAL TOOLS & TECHNIQUES

  • Instrumentation: microscopy | nuclear magnetic resonance imaging | gas chromatography | biosensors
  • Methods development: experimental design | variability | ruggedness | repeatability | statistical evaluation
  • Modeling: cellular automata modeling | mathematics | hydrodynamics
  • Basic microbiology techniques: total and direct counts | MIC determination | viable cell counts
  • Molecular biology techniques: DNA extraction | PCR | DGGE | microarrays | sequencing

CBE Resources

Standardized Biofilm Methods Lab

Bioimaging & Analytical Core Labs

Publications

Gallery: Journal cover images

CBE milestones (history)

Affiliated faculty and their specialties

Early career faculty advisory panel

International Standards Task Group

 

How we help industry

Graphic with some text and company logos Graphic with textGraphic with image of a flower bed and building and textGraphic with picture of a urinary catheter and person in a wheelchair and some textGraphic with image of hand washing, surgeon, plants in a greenhouse and text Graphic with the image of running water from a kitchen sink and textGraphic of an image of corrosion on a vent and pipe and textImage of an oil pump and gasoline pump in a vehicle and textImage of a biofilm reactor and textImage of a graph with lines, numbers, and textGraphic of numbers and text inside color text circlesBar graph with numbers and text explaining graph Graphic with textGraphic with textGraphic with microscopy images and textGraphic with text

Click on an image to view as a slideshow.

 

CBE excellence in research, education, and outreach

CBE documentary on real-world problems of biofilms

 

Think Outside Expectations: MSU's Women in Engineering

 

Impacting healthcare sciences nationally and internationally through research, education, and outreach

 **CBE featured at minute 2:25. Video courtesy of MSU's Division of Health Sciences.

 

Discover the Center for Biofilm Engineering at Montana State University