Project description
Visualisation of multi-drug efflux pump activity in living bacteria with nanophotonic biochips
Nanoengineered photonic chips hold great promise for bioimaging. Funded by the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions programme, the Illuminate-AMR project aims to improve imaging of membrane processes in cells with photonic biochips and study population dynamics of multi-drug efflux pump activity in antimicrobial-resistant bacteria via wide-field 3D nanoscopy. The objectives include development and testing of a new nanophotonic biochip with which to visualise and track membrane bound proteins in real-time under common light microscopes; development of a direct assay for imaging the presence and activity of multi-drug efflux pumps in bacterial membranes at the single-cell level; and comparison of the biochip platform with modern single-molecule imaging approaches.
Objective
Nanophotonic chips hold great promise in imaging by providing molecular-level insights into biological processes occurring in live cells. By tuning their design, it becomes possible to selectively modify light at their surface such that they can be used to study the properties of biomolecules and cells at high resolution near the interface. On-chip decoupling of the excitation and emission light at multiple wavelengths is however a challenge in optical microscopy. The aim of this project is to substantially improve imaging of membrane processes in cells with biochips and then study population dynamics of multi-drug efflux pump activity in antimicrobial resistant bacteria by widefield nanoscopy. The objectives are (i) to develop and test a new nanophotonic biochip with which to visualize and track membrane bound proteins and their activity in single living bacterial cells under common light microscopes; (ii) to develop a direct assay for imaging the presence and activity of multi-drug efflux pumps in bacterial membranes at the single-cell level; and (iii) to implement and compare the biochip platform with modern single-molecule approaches. This imaging platform is based on encoding several precise periodicities to the surface of the biochip in order to diffraction-couple the light to traveling surface waves at multiple resonant wavelengths. This biochip will be a superior alternative to expensive TIRF microscopes that have a limited field of view, and will practically offer an improved evenness of illumination, smaller footprint, and a more accurate knowledge of penetration depth of the evanescent field. The biochip will be used to elucidate how phenotypic heterogeneity in multi-drug efflux pump activity contributes to bacterial survival and thus help improve current antibiotic treatment schemes. Such technology will result in immediate benefits for integrative cellular and molecular biology research communities, and thus has a strong potential for commercialization.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
- natural sciences biological sciences microbiology bacteriology
- natural sciences biological sciences biochemistry biomolecules proteins
- natural sciences physical sciences optics microscopy
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Keywords
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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H2020-EU.1.3. - EXCELLENT SCIENCE - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions
MAIN PROGRAMME
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H2020-EU.1.3.2. - Nurturing excellence by means of cross-border and cross-sector mobility
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Topic(s)
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
MSCA-IF - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual Fellowships (IF)
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Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) H2020-MSCA-IF-2020
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Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.
12205 Berlin
Germany
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.