Design of a Novel Poly(dimethylsiloxane)-Based Microbial Nanoculture System
AfroBiotech Conference
2020
2020 AfroBiotech Conference
General Submissions
Microbiome and Immunoengineering
Organosilanes contain hydrocarbon-like backbones, allowing them to react with
silicone-based agents in the presence of a catalyst and polymerize into membranes
with tunable transport and mechanical properties. Owing to their high hydrophobicity,
Poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) membranes, and more particularly, Sylgard® 184,
have been used for applications including drug delivery, gas separation, and
microfluidics fabrication. However, the undefined composition of the material and its
ability to leach out uncured oligomers make its functionalization and usage challenging
for many biological applications. This article presents the design of a novel culture
system generated using PDMS-based membranes to study microbial dynamics. The
microbial culture system that is referred to as “nanoculture†serves to encapsulate and
grow microbes in semipermeable membranes. The mechanical properties of the
membranes are investigated through osmotic annealing to determine the ability of the
nanocultures to withstand high shear stress similar to environmental conditions while
maintaining transport properties essential to microbial communication and growth. The
present study lays the foundation for a novel microbial culture system that would
enable the cultivation of microorganisms in environments other than laboratory
conditions.
silicone-based agents in the presence of a catalyst and polymerize into membranes
with tunable transport and mechanical properties. Owing to their high hydrophobicity,
Poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) membranes, and more particularly, Sylgard® 184,
have been used for applications including drug delivery, gas separation, and
microfluidics fabrication. However, the undefined composition of the material and its
ability to leach out uncured oligomers make its functionalization and usage challenging
for many biological applications. This article presents the design of a novel culture
system generated using PDMS-based membranes to study microbial dynamics. The
microbial culture system that is referred to as “nanoculture†serves to encapsulate and
grow microbes in semipermeable membranes. The mechanical properties of the
membranes are investigated through osmotic annealing to determine the ability of the
nanocultures to withstand high shear stress similar to environmental conditions while
maintaining transport properties essential to microbial communication and growth. The
present study lays the foundation for a novel microbial culture system that would
enable the cultivation of microorganisms in environments other than laboratory
conditions.