About The Gordon Lab
As bacteria continue to be treated with antibiotics, we are witnessing the emergence of antibiotic-resistant pathogens capable of forming "biofilms" that further increase its immune system and antibiotic resistance. The Gordon Lab utilizes physics to attack biological problems from a unique perspective. Whereas most scientists studying biofilms have microbiology backgrounds, physics training prompts Gordon Lab researchers to ask different questions and use unique approaches. Rather than studying individual cells, Dr. Gordon and her team study "biofilms," or many interacting bacteria in a structural grouping, to understand how the structures of infections affect their function and characteristics.
The Gordon Lab's approach to infections' structure is uncovering answers that reveal how many cells of bacteria operate when functioning as a community. Current research focuses on Pseudomonas aeruginosa, a bacterium known to infect individuals with compromised immune systems. Pseudomonas is the 4th most commonly acquired infection in hospitals and is particularly dangerous, often deadly, in patients suffering from diabetes or cystic fibrosis.
2023 Research
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Wells M, Mikesh M, Gordon V. Structure-preserving fixation allows Scanning Electron Microscopy to reveal biofilm microstructure and interactions with immune cells. J Microsc. 2023 Dec 14. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 38098170.
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Wells MJ, Currie H, Gordon VD. Physiological Concentrations of Calcium Interact with Alginate and Extracellular DNA in the Matrices of Pseudomonas aeruginosa Biofilms to Impede Phagocytosis by Neutrophils. Langmuir. 2023 Dec 5;39(48):17050-17058. Epub 2023 Nov 16. PMID: 37972353.
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Zhou X, Wells MJ, Gordon VD. Incorporation of collagen into Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus biofilms impedes phagocytosis by neutrophils. bioRxiv [Preprint]. 2023 Oct 26:2023.10.25.564018. PMID: 37961328; PMCID: PMC10634824.
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Wang L, Wong YC, Correira JM, Wancura M, Geiger CJ, Webster SS, Touhami A, Butler BJ, O'Toole GA, Langford RM, Brown KA, Dortdivanlioglu B, Webb L, Cosgriff-Hernandez E, Gordon VD. The accumulation and growth of Pseudomonas aeruginosa on surfaces is modulated by surface mechanics via cyclic-di-GMP signaling. NPJ Biofilms Microbiomes. 2023 Oct 10;9(1):78. PMID: 37816780; PMCID: PMC10564899
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Sweet P, Blacutt J, Gordon V, Contreras L. Exposure of Shewanella oneidensis MR-1 to Sublethal Doses of Ionizing Radiation Triggers Short-Term SOS Activation and Longer-Term Prophage Activation. Appl Environ Microbiol. 2023 Mar 29;89(3):e0171622. Epub 2023 Feb 27. PMID: 36847540; PMCID: PMC10057963.
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Wells M, Schneider R, Bhattarai B, Currie H, Chavez B, Christopher G, Rumbaugh K, Gordon V. Perspective: The viscoelastic properties of biofilm infections and mechanical interactions with phagocytic immune cells. Front Cell Infect Microbiol. 2023 Feb 16;13:1102199. PMID: 36875516; PMCID: PMC9978752.
2022 Research
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Rahman MU, Fleming DF, Wang L, Rumbaugh KP, Gordon VD, Christopher GF. Microrheology of Pseudomonas aeruginosa biofilms grown in wound beds. NPJ Biofilms Microbiomes. 2022 Jun 15;8(1):49. PMID: 35705574; PMCID: PMC9200728.
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D Fleming, B Niese, W Redman, E Vanderpool, V Gordon, KP Rumbaugh. Contribution of Pseudomonas aeruginosa Exopolysaccharides Pel and Psl to Wound Infections. Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology, 323. April 7, 2022.
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G Christopher, V Gordon, K Rumbaugh, M Rahman, L Wang, D Fleming. Microrheology of Pseudomonas aeruginosa Biofilms Grown in Wound Beds. Bulletin of the American Physical Society. March 16, 2022.
2021 Research
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LA Bakhtiari, MJ Wells, VD Gordon. High-throughput assays show the timescale for phagocytic success depends on the target toughness. Biophysics Reviews 2 (3), 031402. May 17, 2021.
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J Blacutt, Z Lan, EM Cosgriff-Hernandez, VD Gordon. Quantitative confocal microscopy and calibration for measuring differences in cyclic-di-GMP signalling by bacteria on biomedical hydrogels. Royal Society open science 8 (1), 201453. January 6, 2021.
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MU Rahman, D Flemming, I Sinha, KP Rumbaugh, V Gordon, ... Effect of Collagen and EPS components on the viscoelasticity of Pseudomonas aeruginosa biofilms. Soft Matter. 2021.
2020 Research
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K Kovach, IV Sabaraya, P Patel, MJ Kirisits, NB Saleh, VD Gordon. Suspended multiwalled, acid-functionalized carbon nanotubes promote aggregation of the opportunistic pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Plos one 15 (7), e0236599. July 28, 2020.
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KN Kovach, D Fleming, MJ Wells, KP Rumbaugh, VD Gordon. Specific Disruption of Established Pseudomonas aeruginosa Biofilms Using Polymer-Attacking Enzymes. Langmuir 36 (6), 1585-1595. January 28, 2020.
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WF Zeno, KJ Day, VD Gordon, JC Stachowiak. Principles and applications of biological membrane organization. Annual review of biophysics 49, 19-399. January 8, 2020.