SPP 2494:  Productive Biofilm Systems

• Subject Area: Thermal Engineering/Process Engineering ; Biology
• Term: since 2025
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 540882360

We pursue with this proposal the evidence-based hypothesis that productive biofilm systems will be key for future sustainable bioengineering and bio-based production. Most microorganisms that we know grow in the form of biofilms and everybody is familiar with this ubiquitously distributed live form. Every stone that feels slimy when taking out of a stream or every tooth that feels different before and after brushing the teeth are examples for microorganisms that grow as biofilms on surfaces. Moreover, biofilms composed of pathogenic organisms can be a major threat to human health and it was the motivation from the medical sector that initiated interest in the molecular fundamentals of biofilm formation. In biofilms, microorganisms are typically attached to a surface and occur in high cell density. Also, they are more resilient to growth inhibiting factors which is problematic in the medical context but can be of advantage considering process robustness in biotechnological applications. Although most potential microbial biocatalysts on Earth grow in the form of biofilms and although they can be established in high cell density and can be rather robust life forms, we still operate in biotechnology mainly with planktonic micro-organisms in stirred tank reactor systems. This is also surprising as biofilms have proven in the past that they can be (I) more productive, (II) have higher resilience, and (III) allow easier downstream processing compared to planktonic systems. It is lacking knowledge, experience, and reactor technology that hampers the successful implementation of these systems as new biocatalytic tools in a bio-based economy. Consequently, there is an urgent need in fundamental research to understand applied biofilm catalysts, harness their full potential by metabolic and genetic engineering and apply them in reactor environments that allow competitive space-time-yields in future applications. In Germany, there are numerous research groups in many different disciplines (e.g., engineering, microbiology, molecular biology, physics) conducting research on biofilms. This diverse group of scientists should be addressed to synergistically combine expertise and techniques to focus on Productive Biofilm Systems. The planned priority program will be an excellent tool to enable and foster such an interdisciplinary collaboration. Also, it will train a new generation of scientists and will setup a tailored curriculum for individual methodological communication as well as soft skill training. Moreover, the program has a strong focus on internationalization by collaborating with three centers for biofilm studies located in the UK, USA and Singapore. From this strategy, the priority program will benefit scientifically, and the students will individually benefit by networking with potential partners for future international career steps.

• DFG Programme: Priority Programmes
• International Connection: Saudi Arabia

Projects

• 2,3-Butandiol production using biofilm clusters bound to magnetic particles (Applicants Gescher, Johannes ;  Jacobs, Karin ;  Meckenstock, Rainer Udo )
• 3DFiberFilm: Designing High-Producing Carboxydotrophic Biofilms with the Help of 3D Textiles (Applicants Stegmaier, Thomas ;  Takors, Ralf )
• Assessing terpene productivity of Methanosarcina acetivorans biofilms in porous substrata using a mathematical-physiological approach (Applicants Rother, Michael ;  Vorhauer-Huget, Nicole )
• Coordination Funds (Applicant Gescher, Johannes )
• Developing 3D-Hybrid Living Materials for Mixotrophic Biofilm Catalysis (Applicants Bühler, Katja ;  Karande, Rohan )
• Establishing Biofilm Models as Tool to study and optimize the Production of Medium Chain Fatty Acids and Alcohols in Membrane Biofilm Reactors (Applicant Lackner, Susanne )
• Harnessing spatial metabolomic patterns to exploit cyanobacteria of the genus Nostoc as productive biofilms (Applicants Dittmann-Thünemann, Elke ;  Strittmatter, Ph.D., Nicole )
• LactiFilm – Hydrogel supported co-culture biofilms of lactobacilli and phytoplankton for sustainable production of lactic acid (Applicants von Klitzing, Regine ;  Sankaran, Shrikrishnan ;  Weinhart, Marie )
• Microbial biofilms upcycling plastics to produce valuable chemical compounds [BIOCYCLING] (Applicants Liese, Andreas ;  Streit, Wolfgang )
• Resource-Saving Biofilm Reactors for Aerosol Biotransformations (Applicants Bühler, Katja ;  Ulber, Roland )
• Steering chemical productivity of cooperative photobiocatalytic consortia by material-assisted light and mass transport within biofilms (Applicants Bozan, Mahir ;  Pompe, Tilo )
• Streptomyces bioFilms: Biosynthesis, composition and their potential as productive systems in tubular Bioreactors (StrepBio2Films) (Applicants Heins, Anna-Lena ;  Tschowri, Natalia )
• Understanding the limitations in hydrogenotrophic and/or aerophilic productive biofilms using an MRI-based in-vivo method for the combined quantification of reactant gradients, mass transfer characteristics, and biomass growth (Applicants Kerzenmacher, Sven ;  Küstermann, Ekkehard ;  Roggatz, Ph.D., Christina )

• Spokesperson: Professor Dr. Johannes Gescher