Investigating the effect of nanoscale vibration cues on material surfaces for preventing bacterial adhesion

Bacterial biofilms are a major cause of nosocomial infection and increase drug resistance of medical device and implant-associated infections. Hence, there is an urgent need to prevent bacterial attachment to such devices. Recent studies demonstrated that bacteria respond to mechanical stimuli, including the unique dynamic regimes induced by vibration, by modelling phenotypes such as surface adhesion, proliferation, and virulence. However, little is known about the mechanisms underpinning these responses. We aim to understand this phenomenon, so that vibration protocols can be exploited to modulate/prevent bacterial attachment.
We will construct and characterise dynamic solid biointerfaces that act as resonators. These surfaces will possess features from the micrometre to the nanometre scale-such structured surfaces are known to influence bacterial adhesion. The effect of different structures and vibrational regimes on bacterial adhesion will be tested.
Next, we will combine these well-defined surfaces with known mechanoresponsive promoter-reporter gene fusions, advanced high-resolution imaging, and genetic and biochemical approaches, to investigate and identify regulatory pathways by which vibration is sensed and translated to phenotypic or behavioural changes.