In Situ Sensing of Chemicals Inside Three-dimensional Bacterial Matrices using Artificial Cells

With support from the Chemical Measurement and Imaging Program in the Division of Chemistry, Professor Cheemeng Tan and his collaborator Professor Atul Parikh are developing new ways of monitoring real-time chemical changes in three-dimensional biofilms. These films are composed of aggregates of bacteria and are commonly found in nature. The Tan and Parikh groups use biofilms to model chemical sensing in other three-dimensional systems, including soft robots, engineered tissues, and chemical reactors. Integrated educational efforts entail creation and dissemination of teaching kits addressing the underlying scientific principles for middle and high school students in underserved communities. The research involves graduate and undergraduate students from diverse backgrounds, who participate in outreach programs in both formal and informal educational settings.<br/><br/>Real-time measurements of chemical gradients inside three-dimensional environments at the micrometer scale are quite challenging. The Tan and Parikh groups are working to advance understanding of the fundamental principles impacting the use of artificial cells for monitoring chemical dynamics at the micrometer scale inside microbial biofilms. They are designing and creating artificial cells that mimic specific properties of living cells, including gene expression, signaling pathways, and membrane transport. Essentially, these artificial cells function as complete micro-scale processors that interpret chemical input signals from the environment and produce readout through fluorescent reporters. The research uses biofilms of Escherichia coli as a model system to create a generalizable framework for chemical sensing in other three-dimensional systems.<br/><br/>This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.