Fibre highways for microbial travel
October 22, 2020
Bio Design Book Series: Living Construction
October 29, 2020
Hub fellows, Dr Angela Sherry at Northumbria University and Dr Jane Scott at Newcastle University, have been successfully granted a winning bid through EBNet and Research England for the proof of concept project: ‘Fibre Highways: translocation of the microbiome for pollutant bioremediation‘.
Proposal Summary
This proof of concept study will combine expertise in environmental molecular microbiology and material and textile science to demonstrate translocation of the microbiome along ‘fungal or fibre highways’ to facilitate pollutant biodegradation. The study will expand upon previous research into bacterial motility on fungal highways to investigate ‘fibre highways’ – the directional movement and dispersal of microbes on a range of natural and synthetic fibres, using a combination of growth experiments, visualisation technology, low-cost sequencing and bioinformatics. Outcomes will include a deeper understanding of the interactive dynamics of motility in hydrocarbon-degrading multispecies microbiomes along fungal mycelium and natural / synthetic fibres, with multiple potential areas of application. The preliminary data generated will facilitate the translation of fundamental science into biotechnological solutions that can be utilised in the bioremediation of environmental pollutants, taking the research from TRL1 to TRL3 with potential to advance to higher TRLs. The study will ultimately lead to the development of environmentally responsive textile systems composed of natural and sustainable material that could be used to e.g. increase the contact time of microbes with the pollutant for more efficient bioremediation or ‘seed’ polluted sites which are difficult to reach. The study will be of interest to the textiles industry, pharmaceutical companies treating wastes, and sustainability divisions of the oil and gas industry. Research into microbiome interactions, dynamics, dispersal and translocation on fibres in particular environments is also timely and relevant, given the current COVID-19 pandemic and the decision by governments for indoor self-isolation.
Read more about the project here
