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Engineering biological aggregation through mechanistic and physiological understanding

Reference	BB/C505391/1
Principal Investigator / Supervisor	Professor Catherine Biggs
Co-Investigators / Co-Supervisors
Institution	University of Sheffield
Department	Chemical & Biological Engineering
Funding type	Research
Value (£)	132,254
Status	Completed
Type	Research Grant
Start date	01/12/2004
End date	30/11/2006
Duration	24 months

Abstract

A dispersion of bacteria is a collodial dispersion and subject to the same physical laws as biologically inert particles. However in order to fully understand aggregation in biological systems for further manipulation, control and/or modelling it is no longer appropriate to assume that bacteria are purely charged colloids. The development of sophisticated microbiological and post genomic techniques provides a methodology for identifying and quantifying the physiological processes important in the aggregation processes. This project will therefore work at the interface between biology and engineering systems, by combining well-established colloidal characterisation and aggregation techniques (e.g. light scattering, rhealogy and interaction potentials) with metabolite profiling and proteomics to establish a framework that will enable a step change in the understanding and manipulation of aggregation in biological systems. A mechanistic and physiological understanding (such as cell/cell communication) of aggregation in biological systems is significant in a diverse range of scientific disciplines such as formation of biofilms by pathogens involved in cystic fibrosis, stem cell cultivation, water and wastewater treatment, bioremediation of contaminated land and reducing growth of barnacle layers (i.e. biofouling) on ship hulls.

Summary

unavailable

Committee	Closed Committee - Engineering & Biological Systems (EBS)
Research Topics	X – not assigned to a current Research Topic
Research Priority	X – Research Priority information not available
Research Initiative	X - not in an Initiative
Funding Scheme	X – not Funded via a specific Funding Scheme

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