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BP: Fachverband Biologische Physik
BP 4: Bacterial Biophysics
BP 4.2: Vortrag
Montag, 17. März 2025, 10:00–10:15, H46
Modelling the growth of biofilms on soft substrates — •Anthony Pietz1, Uwe Thiele1, and Karin John2 — 1Universität Münster, Münster, Germany — 2Université Grenoble Alpes
Bacteria invade surfaces by forming dense colonies encased in a polymer matrix. Successful settlement of founder bacteria, early microcolony development and later macroscopic spreading of these biofilms on surfaces rely on complex physical mechanisms. Data show that on soft hydrogels, substrate rigidity is an important determinant for biofilm initiation and spreading. Using a thermodynamically consistent thin-film approach for suspensions on soft elastic substrates we investigate in silico the role of substrate rigidity in the osmotic spreading of biofilms. We show that on soft substrates spreading is considerably slowed down and may even be arrested depending on the biomass production rate. We find, that the slowing down of biofilm spreading on soft surfaces is caused by a reduced osmotic influx of solvent into the biofilm results from the coupling between substrate deformation and interfacial forces.
Keywords: Biofilm; soft substrate; gradient dynamic formulation; thin-film-dynamics