Associate professor Henry Fu received a three-year National Science Foundation collaborative grant with Southern Methodist University mechanical engineering professor MinJun Kim’s group. Their research is entitled, “Controlled Investigation of Micro- and Nanoscale Contact Interactions between Microbes and Biomaterials Using Artificial Bacteria.”
The swimming of microorganisms through complex and heterogeneous environments such as biological tissues or mucus layers impacts ecology and health. The overall goal of this project is to quantify the effect of contact interactions on microscale propulsion using well-controlled artificial bacteria “microrobots” and well-controlled synthetic mucus medium, and then apply that quantitative knowledge to understand which contact interactions dominate the transport of living microorganisms in real biological environments.
To learn more about Dr. Fu and his research please visit his Fluids and Biomechanics Laboratory.