Center for Biofilm Engineering

News Update: 

January, 2004

Volume 7, Issue 1

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Research Highlights

Upcoming Technical Advisory Conference

The winter 2004 Technical Advisory Conference (TAC) will be held here in Bozeman, Montana, February 5th-6th. Click here to view a pdf file of the Agenda. There will be sessions on:

• Fate of Undesirable Organisms in Clean Water Systems
• Advances in Biofilm Modeling
• Metal—Microbe Interactions
• Biofilm Methods
• Biofilm Control

Plus other topics of general biofilm interest.

Pre-registration and Welcome Reception will be held at:
GranTree Inn
6:00-8:00 p.m.
North 7th Avenue, Bozeman
Wednesday, February 4, 2004

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Recent Review Articles by CBE Researchers

Bacterial Biofilms: A Diagnostic and Therapeutic Challenge
C.A. Fux, P. Stoodley, L. Hall-Stoodley and J.W. Costerton
Expert Rev. Anti-infect Ther. 2003; 1(4):667–683
See full text (pdf)
published by Future-Drugs

Bacterial Biofilms: From the Natural Environment to Infectious Diseases
L. Hall-Stoodley, J.W. Costerton, and P. Stoodley
Nature Reviews Microbiology February 2004; 2(2):95-108
 

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Grant Announcement

The Standardized Biofilm Methods Team was awarded a $146,607 grant from the Montana Board of Research and Commercialization Technology to develop the Drip Flow Biofilm Reactor into a commercial product that BioSurface Technologies Inc. will manufacture and sell.

The grant runs from January 1, 2004 through December 31, 2005.
 

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Position Announcements

The CBE is currently recruiting for three new CBE post docs. The jobs are posted on the MSU website at: http://www.montana.edu/msuinfo/jobs/prof/

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Farewell

Drs. Paul Stoodley and Luanne Hall-Stoodley have recently accepted positions with the Center for Genomic Sciences (CGS) Allegheny-Singer Research Institute in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. We look forward to continued collaborations with them, and will certainly miss their enthusiastic contributions here at the Center.

At the CGS, Luanne will be working in the Biofilms Group investigating biofilm development associated with biofilm infections. Specifically she will be investigating the molecular mechanisms of bacterial biofilm pathogenicity in vitro and at the host mucosal interface.

Paul’s work will focus on detachment phenomena in terms of quantification, antibiotic resistance, clinical relevance, and genetic regulation. He will continue to collaborate with the CBE both in the area of Biofilm Mechanics with Al Cunningham, Aleksandra Vinogradov and Isaac Klapper, and on detachment patterns of different pathogens from catheters in association with Christoph Fux.

Both Paul and Luanne are in the process of establishing an imaging facility consisting of a new Leica TCS SP2 AOBS filter-free spectral confocal system, and three digital time-lapse microscopy imaging systems for long term biofilm flow cell studies. We will also be developing Confocal and Raman imaging techniques for identifying biofilms associated with implants and scar tissue and other infected tissues. The close proximity of the operating theatre to the imaging lab will allow samples to be observed with minimal preservation or deterioration time.

New contact information for Paul and Luanne:

Luanne Hall-Stoodley, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Center for Genomic Sciences
Allegheny-Singer Research Institute
320 E. North Avenue
11th floor South Tower
Pittsburgh, PA 15212
Tel: (412) 359-5016
email: lstoodle@wpahs.org


Paul Stoodley, Ph.D.
Associate Professor, Center for Genomic Sciences
Affiliate Professor, Depts. Microbiology & Mechanical Eng. Montana State University–Bozeman
Allegheny-Singer Research Institute
1107 11th Floor South Tower
320 East North Avenue
Pittsburgh PA 15212-4772
Tel: 412 359 6876
email: pstoodle@wpahs.org
 

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Education

Research Opportunity for the CBE Industrial Associates:
Sponsor an REU Student!

The CBE is extending an invitation to its Industrial Associates to submit a two-page research proposal appropriate for a Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) student. The REU program brings talented students from across the US to the CBE for a ten-week intensive research program that includes laboratory research, oral and written communications development, ethics seminars and industrial interaction. For more information about this opportunity, click here or contact Darla Goeres.

The deadline for submission is March 12, 2004.

 

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PASI Workshop

The first of two Pan-American Advanced Studies Institutes (PASI) workshops, took place this month at the University of Concepción, Chile. A number of CBE faculty, staff, and students, as well as other international scientists delivered the workshop, “Techniques for biofilm Community Analysis.” Sixteen students participated from Chile, Denmark, Mexico, and the USA. Techniques presented included engineering aspects of reactor design, genomic and proteomic approaches to investigation of microbial communities, the use of microelectrodes in biofilm research, and advanced microscopy and use of imaging software. The second PASI workshop will take place in July in Bozeman, Montana, USA.  Click here for more information about the workshop.

  
Workshop Coordinators:
Dr. Richard Veeh
Senior Research Associate
Center for Biofilm Engineering
Montana State University—Bozeman

Dr. Homero Urrutia Briones
Associate Professor
Facultad de Cs. Biológicas, Departamento de Microbiología
Universidad de Concepción, Chile

 
CBE Presentations:

Dr. William Costerton presented:
Biofilms in nature and disease
Cell to cell signaling in biofilms

Linda Loetterle presented:
Biofilm growth reactors: An overview
Analysis of a laboratory biofilm from three growth reactors
Basic biofilm techniques: Laboratory instruction
Four stages of biofilm study
Hands-on reactor sampling and analysis

Lee Richards presented:
Drip flow reactor protocols and laboratory demonstration

Dr. Mark Shirtliff presented:
Proteomics in biofilm study
Proteomics principles and methods
Proteomics laboratory

Dr. Zbigniew Lewandowski presented:
Biocorrosion
Use of microelectrodes to monitor biofilm

Dr. Anne Camper presented four modules:
Drinking water biofilm modules I-IV

Ben Klayman presented:
Confocal microscopy principles and methods
Confocal laboratory

Dr. Richard Veeh presented:
General methodologies for biofilm study
 

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Upcoming CBE Workshops

Microsensors: Manufacture and applications
August 9–13, 2004
http://www.erc.montana.edu/CBEssentials-SW/research/workshops/detailsmicro.htm


Biofilm structure quantification and image analysis
July 22–23, 2004
http://www.erc.montana.edu/CBEssentials-SW/research/workshops/default.htm

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See the BiofilmsOnline.com January issue at http://www.BiofilmsOnline.com.

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Recent Web Updates

Check the Recent Web Updates link located on the CBE home page, to view the latest information posted on the CBE web.

See <http://www.erc.montana.edu/Recent%20Web%20Updates/default.htm> 

The CBE News Update is a listserve newsletter. If you need to subscribe or unsubscribe from the listserve, follow the directions at the following CBE website.

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An alternative to subscribing to the listserve is to view the CBE News Update on our web page at http://www.erc.montana.edu/Ind-Col99-SW/Current_Newsletter/default.htm. Newsletter archives can be found at http://www.erc.montana.edu/Res-Lib99-SW/newsarchives/index.htm