MIDEARI
Financiado
Mimicking Bacterial Middle Ear Infection in the Lab
Bacterial infections in the human body mostly involve biofilms - locally dense populations of bacteria that are extremely difficult to treat with antibiotics. Understanding antibiotic-biofilm interactions is crucial if we are to d...
Bacterial infections in the human body mostly involve biofilms - locally dense populations of bacteria that are extremely difficult to treat with antibiotics. Understanding antibiotic-biofilm interactions is crucial if we are to design better antibiotic treatment regimes to avoid the emergence of antibiotic resistance. In biofilms, bacteria are surrounded by a biopolymer matrix which can inhibit the motion of antibiotic molecules, leading to complex diffusive behaviour. Yet it is not known how these biophysical matrix-antibiotic interactions influence bacterial killing in a spatially complex infection model. Answering this question is the objective of my proposal. I will set up a lab model that mimics Acute Otitis Media -bacterial infection of the middle ear- and I will use advanced microscopy methods to track antibiotic molecules as they interact with bacterial biofilms. I will answer the following questions: A) what is the spatio-temporal distribution of antibiotic molecules in the biofilm? and B) What is the effect of biofilm structure on the antibiotic response, at the single-cell level? After establishing materials and protocols (objective 1), I will use fluorescence-correlation-spectroscopy (FCS) to characterize the spatial distribution of antibiotic molecules (objective 2). Next, I will use state-of-art 2D STED-FCS method (combination of FCS with stimulated-emission depletion microscopy) to track in unprecedented detail how antibiotics kill individual bacteria within a biofilm (objective 3). Finally, by tracking bacterial growth over long times, I will determine how antibiotic resistance emerges in these spatially complex biofilms (objective 4). I will be supported by the world-class expertise of the host, Prof. Christian Eggeling (Leibniz IPHT Jena, Germany), who has pioneered the advanced super-resolution microscopy methods that I will use, and by an interdisciplinary team of clinical, chemical and microbiological collaborators in Jena.
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Duración del proyecto: 25 meses
Fecha Inicio: 2023-05-15
Fecha Fin: 2025-06-30
Fecha Fin: 2025-06-30
Línea de financiación: concedida
El organismo HORIZON EUROPE notifico la concesión del proyecto el día 2023-05-15
Línea de financiación objetivo
El proyecto se financió a través de la siguiente ayuda:
HORIZON-MSCA-2022-PF-01-01:
MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships 2022
Cerrada
hace 2 años
Presupuesto
El presupuesto total del proyecto asciende a
174K€
Líder del proyecto
LEIBNIZINSTITUT FUER PHOTONISCHE TECHNOLOGIEN...
No se ha especificado una descripción o un objeto social para esta compañía.
Perfil tecnológico
TRL
4-5
Perfil tecnológico
TRL
4-5