An integrated approach, using biofabrication and chemical synthesis, to study cell signaling

University Of Maryland, College Park, College Park MD

Investigators

Abstract

1264509 Sintim, Herman O. This award is supporting the research of Professors Herman O. Sintim, William Bentley and Gary Rubloff of the University of Maryland at College Park. The team will develop multimodal and multifunctional microfluidic systems for studying cell signaling by integrating stimuli-responsive biofabrication with device-imposed, complex gradient generation of bacterial signaling molecules. This device will then be used to systematically investigate the response of bacterial cells to quorum sensing molecules and environmental cues. Additionally, the device will be used to identify new molecules that inhibit bacterial chemotaxis. Due to the central role that bacterial cell signaling plays in bacterial physiology, there is a high interest in understanding or unraveling the various factors that control bacterial response to signaling molecules. Transformative technologies that can aid the screening of molecules that inhibit bacterial communication would have potential applications in medicine, agriculture and industry. The broader impact of this project includes development of a new technological platform to study how bacteria interact with each other and the environment. This project is highly multidisciplinary, involving chemical biologists, bioengineers and biosystems engineers. Therefore, the students who will be involved with the project will be trained to solve scientific problems using diverse approaches. This award by the Biotechnology, Biochemical, and Biomass Engineering Program of the CBET Division is co-funded by the Systems and Synthetic Biology Program of the Division of Molecular and Cellular Biology.