Nucleating the growth of biofilms for biocatalysis with polymer chemistry

Bacteria often attach to surfaces in the form of biofilms. Biofilms represent a problem in many medical and industrial settings as they are physically tough and hard to kill or remove from surfaces. However, these characteristics make biofilms a potentially very useful platform for biocatalysis, where bacteria are used to make chemicals for a variety of purposes. This project will focus on controlling the way in which bacteria attach to surfaces, so we can specify when and where biofilms form.
In this project, we will investigate the use of synthetic polymers to nucleate the growth of biofilms that will be utilised as a platform for biocatalysis. We will develop a high-throughput platform to evaluate how polymer length and composition determines the phenotype of the formed biofilms and their potential to produce relevant metabolites. This work has relevance in the production of pharmaceuticals, and potential applications for synthesis of fine chemicals. This project is highly multidisciplinary and involves a collaboration between Dr Francisco Fernandez-Trillo (Polymer Chemistry, Nanotechnology), Dr Tim Overton (Mircrobiology, Biotechnology) and Prof. Mark Simmonds (Biocatalysis, Fluid Mechanics)
For further details about the project, please contact Dr Fernandez-Trillo ([Email Address Removed]).