Please Note the Later Time for This Seminar
Title: Biofilms: Modeling nanomaterial-biofilm transport dynamics and microbiome-immune dynamics.
Abstract: The Jones Systems for Engaging the Environment Lab builds novel tools to study biofilm dynamics. This presentation highlights two such tools: a mathematical tool describing Pseudomonas aeruginosa PAO1 interaction with antibiotics and a modeling framework for microbiome-immune system feedback. Biofilms are the dominant bacterial lifestyle in infections and the environment. Bacterial biofilm are more recalcitrant to antibiotics than planktonic bacteria. This recalcitrance is partially attributed to periphery sequestration, where antibiotics and nanomaterials fail to penetrate biofilm microcolonies. Although surface charge has been proposed as a key driver in biofilm uptake, experimental results are inconsistent. To address this, we developed a model for antibiotic accumulation in bacterial biofilm microcolonies incorporating two physical phenomena: biofilm matrix attachment and volume-exclusion due to variable biofilm porosity. The antibiotic accumulation model incorporating both phenomena better fit observed periphery sequestration data compared to previous models.
Despite an abundance of commensal microbiota, infections and biofilm formation (aside from plaque/acne) are rare. This reflects internal microbiome control and external immune system control. Internal control of the microbiome has been extensively modeled using generalized Lotka-Volterra competition frameworks. Control of the microbiome by the immune system has been modeled for early life, limited species, or simple immune controllers. Here we propose combining microbiome-immune feedback using Lotka-Volterra models with competitive Michaelis-Menten kinetics. Immune inhibition and activation are proportional to linear combinations of microbial species that suppress/regulate specific immune cells or activate specific cytokines/ defensins affecting microbial survival or nutrient diffusion. This model was tested on a set of 34 common microbiome species from Firmicutes, Bacteriodetes, Actinobacteria, and Proteobacteria with immune components including innate lymphoid cells, macrophages, and regulatory T cells.
The NSF-Simons National Institute for Theory and Mathematics in Biology Seminar Series aims to bring together a mix of mathematicians and biologists to foster discussion and collaboration between the two fields. The seminar series will take place on Fridays from 10am - 11am at the NITMB in the John Hancock Center in downtown Chicago. There will be both an in-person and virtual component.