Graduate student Ram Gona designed a 3D bioprinter that creates biofilms using...
Graduate student Ram Gona designed a 3D bioprinter that creates biofilms using a technique developed by University of Rochester biology professor Anne S. Meyer and her collaborators at Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands.

Image source: University of Rochester / J. Adam Fenster

News • Microbiology

Using 3D printing technique to create biofilms

Anne S. Meyer, an associate professor of biology at the University of Rochester, and her collaborators at Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands, recently developed a 3D printing technique to engineer and study biofilms—three-dimensional communities of microorganisms, such as bacteria, that adhere to surfaces.

The research provides important information for creating synthetic materials and in developing drugs to fight the negative effects of biofilms. The researchers published their findings in the journal ACS Synthetic Biology.

Photo
Through single nozzle printing of bio-ink onto an LB-agar plate, the Meyer Lab can synthetically engineer and study biofilms made of Escherichia coli (E. coli) bacteria.

Image source: University of Rochester / J. Adam Fenster

Biofilms can be both harmful and beneficial to humans: they can coat the surfaces of materials and objects, including medical devices, and cause infections, and they are resistant to many drugs and disinfectants. However, biofilms are able to degrade toxic chemicals and environmental pollutants, making them useful in areas such as wastewater treatment. 

In their latest research, Meyer and her colleagues show that engineered biofilms can behave like natural ones. The researchers developed a 3D printing technique that allows them to synthetically engineer and study biofilms made of Escherichia coli (E. coli) bacteria. The technique will allow researchers to better study the properties of biofilms so they can harness their beneficial aspects and combat their harmful effects. “This paper shows that our engineered biofilms can behave like native biofilms in many ways—including displaying emergent drug resistance—making them good model systems for anti-biofilm drug development,” Meyer says. 


Source: University of Rochester

05.12.2021

Read all latest stories

Related articles

Photo

News • Achromobacter research

Cystic fibrosis: new bacteria discovery could lead to better treatments

A new research breakthrough could lead to the development of new treatments for people with compromised immune systems, such as those with cystic fibrosis.

Photo

News • Advanced biosensor

Researchers engineer tumor-detecting bacteria

Scientists from the University of California San Diego and their colleagues in Australia have engineered bacteria that can detect the presence of tumor DNA in a live organism.

Photo

News • Hospital pathogen Acinetobacter baumannii

More appendages = greater adaptability

German bioinformaticians have now detected an unexpected diversity of certain cell appendages in the bacterium Acinetobacter baumannii that are associated with its pathogenicity.

Related products

3D printed pure tungsten anti-scatter grids

Accessories / Complementary Systems

Dunlee · 3D printed pure tungsten anti-scatter grids

Dunlee – Philips Medical Systems DMC GmbH
Alphenix Sky+

Single Plane

Canon · Alphenix Sky+

Canon Medical Systems Europe B.V.
Alphenix Sky+ High Definition Detector

Single Plane

Canon · Alphenix Sky+ High Definition Detector

Canon Medical Systems Europe B.V.
Beckman Coulter – DxM 1096 MicroScan WalkAway system

Automation

Beckman Coulter – DxM 1096 MicroScan WalkAway system

Beckman Coulter Diagnostics
Beckman Coulter – DxM Autoplak Automation

Automation

Beckman Coulter – DxM Autoplak Automation

Beckman Coulter Diagnostics
DryPro 873

Printers

Konica Minolta · DryPro 873

Konica Minolta Business Solutions Europe GmbH
Subscribe to Newsletter