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Microfluidic device to competitively measure biofilm dispersion potential-Junior and Sophomore

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Project Overview

The dispersion of cells from the biofilm is fatal-not simply the biofilm itself. However, dispersion has not been as thoroughly studied as biofilm formation or the extracellular matrix; therefore, the pathway of dispersion has not been established.
The goal of this project would be to design a device where multiple biofilms may be cultured and their dispersion potential competitively monitored. The device should allow the biofilm to be exposed to different environmental conditions, such as nutrient depletion or antifungal drugs, so that the effect of the environment on biofilm dispersion can be tested. The device should be amenable to miniaturization and parallelization so that many biofilms can be tested at the same time allowing for assessment of dispersion in various mutant strains and subjected to different conditions in a medium-throughput manner. A critical aspect to this design is that it should be quantitative, allowing comparisons of ability of dispersing cells from biofilms to colonize new locations.

Team Picture

Team members from left to right: Brooke Pernsteiner, Grace Li, Victoria Trantow, Xu He, and Akshith Mandepally
Team members from left to right: Brooke Pernsteiner, Grace Li, Victoria Trantow, Xu He, and Akshith Mandepally

Contact Information

Team Members

  • Grace Li - Team Leader
  • Xu He - Communicator
  • Victoria Trantow - BSAC
  • Akshith Mandepally - BWIG
  • Brooke Pernsteiner - BPAG

Advisor and Client

  • Dr. Kristyn Masters - Advisor
  • Prof. Megan McClean - Client
  • Stephanie Geller - Alternate Contact

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