Yellowstone Times

Biofilms, which are groups of microbes surrounded by a self-produced slime, have likely been around since life began on Earth. Some researchers suggest these early microbial communities may have formed the "primordial ooze" about 3.5 billion years ago.

This year marks the 35th anniversary of the world's first and largest research center dedicated to the study of biofilms. Located at Montana State University's Norm Asbjornson College of Engineering, it was initially named the Institute for Chemical and Biological Process Analysis and is now known as the Center for Biofilm Engineering (CBE).

Matthew Fields, the director of the CBE and a professor in MSU's College of Agriculture, explained, "A lot of the biomass on the planet is, in fact, in a biofilm form. It’s certainly a very common form of lifestyle for microbes."

Biofilms can be observed in various forms, such as dental plaque, residues inside plumbing, or the slick surface on rocks in bodies of water. However, they pose significant challenges when present in chronic wounds, medical devices, or the lungs of cystic fibrosis patients.

The CBE has focused on addressing these issues over the past 35 years. Founded with a $7.2 million grant from the National Science Foundation in 1990, the center has seen the growth of biofilm research worldwide, increasing from approximately 70 to nearly 10,000 research papers.

One of the most influential publications in the field is "Bacterial Biofilms: A Common Cause of Persistent Infections" by MSU researcher Phil Stewart. Written in 1999, this paper is the most cited work on biofilms worldwide. "That paper helped to get the field to rethink what it meant to be a microbial biofilm, which is why it can be considered groundbreaking," Fields noted.

Fields highlighted the complexity of microbes: "We came to this realization that these single-celled organisms are not only growing this film that we can see with the naked eye but they’re doing complex things: They’re compartmentalizing; there are gradients across this film that can be visualized; and they’re communicating with one another."

MSU's CBE Core Labs are recognized as some of the world's most advanced microscopy labs for examining biofilms and their microbial inhabitants. Fields mentioned that the center's collaboration with industry through the Industrial Associates program addresses real-world problems. Members include consumer product companies and medical device manufacturers, seeking solutions to biofilm-related challenges, including those funded by NASA for water lines aboard the International Space Station.

"I think appreciation for biofilms has grown over the past 35 years and so have the technologies and methods to study microbes as a biofilm," Fields said.

Since its start, the CBE has worked with numerous students from various disciplines, providing a broad approach to biofilm research. Fields emphasized, "Any time you want to embrace the complexity of a system, you’re going to have to come at it from different angles...The university-industry partnership is a cornerstone to the CBE’s continued success."