Caroline DOOSE

Marine Biofilms Enlightened : using photonics to bring down the microbial fortress

Biofilms are communities of different microorganisms belonging to bacteria, fungi, algae and micromeiofauna taxa embedded in a matrix of extracellular polymeric substances (EPS). The difficulties of biofilm eradication are mainly due to the production of this EPS matrix which forms a real defence fortress around the cells as well as various microbial adaptative strategies. In the naval industry, dispersion of the biofilm is mainly achieved trough the use of severe biocides which are often released by the treated surface in the environment.

It is thus important to identify strategies that hamper biofilm formation or induce biofilm dispersion while using eco-friendly approaches. In this project, we are particularly interested in passive dispersion methods, focusing on the latest advances in the field of photonics to lead to the destruction of biofilms while ensuring minimal ecological impact.

We aim to test, under natural and laboratory conditions, the effect of several type of radiations (both ionizing and non-ionizing), energy emission, transmission, modulation and amplification on biofilm structure and functioning. The changes in metabolome expression and photo-physiology will be particularly investigated by performing mass spectrometry (LC-MS, GC-MS) and molecular diversity (sequencing) measurements on marine biofilms.