Tuning Microbial Activity via Programmatic Alteration of Cell/Substrate Interfaces

Abstract

A wide portfolio of advanced programmable materials and structures has been developed for biological applications in the last two decades. Particularly, due to their unique properties, semiconducting materials have been utilized in areas of biocomputing, implantable electronics, and healthcare. As a new concept of such programmable material design, biointerfaces based on inorganic semiconducting materials as substrates introduce unconventional paths for bioinformatics and biosensing. In particular, understanding how the properties of a substrate can alter microbial biofilm behavior enables researchers to better characterize and thus create programmable biointerfaces with necessary characteristics on demand. Herein, the current status of advanced microorganism-inorganic biointerfaces is summarized along with types of responses that can be observed in such hybrid systems. This work identifies promising inorganic material types along with target microorganisms that will be critical for future research on programmable biointerfacial structures.

Keywords: advanced programmable materials; biointerfaces; microorganisms; semiconductors.

Figure 1.

Nanowire-based detection of single viruses. The schematic shows two nanowire devices, where the nanowires are modified with different antibody receptors and produce reactions to the presence of viruses accordingly. Reproduced with permission.^[22] Copyright 2004, National Academy of Sciences.

Figure 2.

Types of simple deformations in shape-memory smart materials. Different scenarios of deformation of thin films: wrinkling, creasing and folding. Reproduced with permission.^[86] Copyright 2012, The Royal Society of Chemistry.

Figure 3.

Concept of programming, shape recovery, and drug release of drug loaded SMP devices for biomedical applications. Reproduced with permission.^[87] Copyright 2009, Elsevier.

Figure 4.

General conception of a biointerfacial structure.

Figure 5.

Substrate properties and their potential effect on cellular attachment. The image here is reproduced from an image in ref. [20b] that was adapted from a figure originally published in ref. [20a]. Adapted with permission.^[20a] Copyright 2011, The Materials Research Society, published by Springer. Reproduced with permission.^[20b] Copyright 2013, Royal Society of Chemistry.

Figure 6.

Schematics of a biointerface characteristics formation. Properties of a substrate along with stimuli and external conditions cause further response from microorganisms on the surface.

Figure 7.

Graphical illustration of stress-reactions via TCS in Streptococcus pneumoniae. The figure depicts potential activation conditions and responses of TCSs system (by specific protein activation). Adapted with permission.^[194] Copyright 2018, Elsevier.