Hi everyone,
I’m looking to connect with people interested in space biofilms. As we explore further into space, understanding how biofilms behave in microgravity is crucial for both astronaut health, disease and spacecraft integrity.
If you’re passionate about space microbiology or biofilm research, let’s connect and share insights!
Thanks Vrvinothan! Welcome to the new space. @daniela.bezdan or perhaps @nicholas.brereton may be able to help assist.
The Microbes AWG the 1st Wednesday/mo 10a-11a PT, but it’d be great to get discussion going here.
Cheers!
Here are 3 relevant datasets in OSDR which are recent:
RNAseq - NASA OSDR: Open Science for Life in Space
Confocal - NASA OSDR: Open Science for Life in Space
Confocal - NASA OSDR: Open Science for Life in Space
Going to also tag a few other microbe AWGers: @tmn2126 @Fathi @ben.sikes
Hi Vrvinothan, fantastic to see the mention of biofilms! I’m very interested in space biofilms and how multispecies microbial communities behave in the spaceflight environment. It would be great to discuss the topic!
Hi Vrvinothan and Katherine,
We have a project (hopefully ESA funded) starting which explores diverse functional compromise/resilience in bacteria under radiation exposure - which could include looking at EPS (we’re using gram positive species to start) or other biofilm components. So an interesting comparison if you’re exploring microgravity data. Happy to chat and engage!
Is this a topic which will be discussed this next Wednesday at the monthly @MicrobesAWG meeting @daniela.bezdan ?
Hi Nicholas, I’m really interested in learning more about your work and look forward to interacting with you further.
Hi, I am getting just familiar with this amazing platform. @vrvinothan do you want to introduce your project at our next meeting? And @ben.sikes ?
Hi Daniela,
I have just started working in this field, and I look forward to discussing it in our next meeting.
Great to meet you Vrvinothan! Really excited to hear about your work on biofilms! Are you planning to present some of your research on Wednesday? That would be awesome!
@daniela.bezdan do we have an agenda yet or anything else planned? @Zerrin has done some pilot work starting to look at the microbial leftovers from 3-4 plant transcriptomic studies in OSDR. I’d love for her to tell us a bit about it what she’s found either this week or next meeting.
Since there’s been good conversation around biofilms here I would definitely be up for starting an Microbial AWG subgroup around the topic if that’s of interest to others?
Yes we have done a lot of work previously on biofilms using biosensor and tissue physiology approaches. We are interested now in biofilms in hydroponics, and engineered biofilms for bioreactors and bioproduction. Water purification, etc… Email me at porterf@purdue.edu. I can send you some papers. Interested in the biophysics of microgravity and metabolic/redox impacts of radiation.
That sounds great! I’m interested in the infectious microenvironment, biofilm structure and function, microbial community dynamics and their relationships with antimicrobial resistance/host responses. I’m also really keen on engineering biofilms- there’s so many different applications for them. I’ll be in touch.
Was there a lead of the Biofilms project coming out of yesterday? @daniela.bezdan @ben.sikes @MicrobesAWG @vrvinothan
If there’s not one already I’d be happy to volunteer.
I had previously worked with plants in the CHROMEX series and did a lot of hydroponics interested in redox/mitochondrial biophysics. later also into microsensor technologies which we use as research tools to study biophysical transport in the membrane boundary layer domain. I started working on the biofilm system with Kathy Banks before she went to Texas AM from Purdue. We have a whole series of papers, including silica encapsulation which we now can use to physically create artificial biofilms of defined composition. We have a proposal to engineer and create these engineered biofilms for water purification…
Awesome and much thanks Marshall
Yesterday, a great Microbial AWG mtg nailed down 3 sub-group projects. 2 of the 3 have OSD datasets they’re going after for reuse, analysis.
In the Microbial AWG member “hub” are the minutes and links.
@daniela.bezdan would you be able to add a link of the recording into the Microbial AWG hub as well?
Hi, I will! There have been many volunteers for the subgroup heads in the chat. I am waiting for the notes of Jaume, will come in tonight.
Subgroup Biofilm and Mouth-Microbiome
I meant oral microbiome 
To streamline our communication, please indicate your interest in either a membership or leadership role by following the link provided below. Due to the high volume of messages and emails across various platforms, this will help us organize effectively. Once you have registered your interest, we will create a subgroup on this platform and extend invitations accordingly.
For folks who are new to Biofilms, perhaps you will find this online textbook useful!
Colin Lennox pointed me to it. His father wrote it with folks from Montana State’s Center for Biofilm Engineering.
https://www.hypertextbookshop.com/biofilmbook/v005/r001/Contents/01_Topics/01_Chapter_1/01_Section_1/01_Beginner/01_Page_1.html