# Bacterial stress responses and surface adhesion in shear flow

> **NIH NIH R35** · UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS AT URBANA-CHAMPAIGN · 2024 · $372,497

## Abstract

Project Summary
My research group combines traditional molecular biology approaches with microfluidic technology to
examine how host-relevant shear flow impacts stress responses and surface adhesion of the human
pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa. While reductionist experimental systems provide great
mechanistic insight, they commonly lack key aspects of natural systems, such as fluid flow. Thus, there
is a great opportunity to solve outstanding problems in microbiology by implementing experimental
systems that more precisely model natural conditions. Two major recent discoveries from my lab
highlight the scientific opportunities of studying bacteria in flow. First, we discovered that flow sensitizes
P. aeruginosa to host-relevant doses of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2). Second, we discovered that host-
relevant shear forces counter-intuitively enhance P. aeruginosa adhesion by counteracting pilus-driven
surface departure. Over the next five-year funding period, we will use our microfluidic platform to build
on these discoveries and investigate three key research gaps: how spatial H2O2 gradients impact
bacterial communities (Project 1), how temporal dynamics of H2O2 stress responses are regulated in P.
aeruginosa (Project 2), and how type IV pilus retraction promotes surface departure of P. aeruginosa in
flow (Project 3). These projects will provide mechanistic answers to questions related to the basic
biology of P. aeruginosa and will lay a clear foundation for innovative advances in the treatment of
bacterial infections.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10941686
- **Project number:** 1R35GM155443-01
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS AT URBANA-CHAMPAIGN
- **Principal Investigator:** Joseph Sanfilippo
- **Activity code:** R35 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $372,497
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2024-07-04 → 2029-05-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10941686

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10941686, Bacterial stress responses and surface adhesion in shear flow (1R35GM155443-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-26 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10941686. Licensed CC0.

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