FORMATION OF BIOFILM BY DEINOCOCCUS RADIODURANS AND DEINOCOCCUS GEOTHERMALIS: IMPLICATIONS FOR SPACE-TRAVEL

Project Title

FORMATION OF BIOFILM BY DEINOCOCCUS RADIODURANS AND DEINOCOCCUS GEOTHERMALIS: IMPLICATIONS FOR SPACE-TRAVEL

Project Area of Specialization Biomedical EngineeringProject Summary

Astronauts and researchers working in space and aboard the International Space Station are constantly exposed to harmful radiation that interfere with the normal functions of their body, ultimately causing various diseases and conditions to take root. Since NASA and SpaceX are planning future missions to colonize Mars, the planet’s extreme conditions will be an unprecedented challenge. Scientists are working on different strategies to overcome these constraints so that the future of Mars colonization and people working on ISS is safe.

Deinococcus.radiodurans and Deinococcus.geothermalis are two of the most environment resistant bacteria studied extensively-they can survive extreme radiation, vacuum, water loss, toxic growth conditions and temperatures in the lab cultures without losing viability due to efficient DNA repair. These bacteria also exist in biofilms (a collective of one of more types of microorganisms) that can grow on many surfaces including wood, glass, ceramics, steel etc. This aggregation of cells allows these bacteria to form a protective layer (Extracellular Polymeric Substance) on their surface that primarily consists of DNA, proteins, lipids and various sugars (polysaccharides). 

Both bacterial strains together will be exposed to different space and Martian conditions to assess their viability and resistance while in biofilm state. We proceed to obtain a combined biofilm of these cells that is resistant to space atmosphere. Researchers have been studying Deinococcus species for the genes and cell products that involved in their extreme resistance and as a model organism to understand damaged DNA repair in microorganisms.

Additionally, isolation of bacteria and tests regarding biofilm content quantification and its morphology will be done to assess its structure and constituents before and after the application of stress conditions. In nature, Deinococcus.radiodurans doesn’t form a biofilm on any surface, where Deinococcus.geothermalis is a natural colonizer on variety of surfaces. For this project to work we will engineer or acquire a genetically engineered Deinococcus.radiodurans strain that has the ability to form a biofilm. 

Project Objectives

The former objective of the study is to check the survival of bacterial biofilms under simulated Martian and space conditions and evaluating their relevance in future space missions-this research will be a milestone in understanding and using microbial assistance to make space-travel successful and eliminate the challenges ahead. Since both the strains are extremely resistant to harsh environments we selected these.

The latter is to identify methods that are cost effective in forming a biofilm because most methods utilize lots of resources like reagents, nutrient media and expensive apparatus. Furthermore, decent amount of funds are spent on space equipment and space suits that protect the people and the machinery from the negative effects of the environment-these materials are mostly the combination of elements that are expensive and less efficient. Our intention is to obtain useful data from this research and use that to make biomaterials from the help of microbes that have low costs and high efficiency as an alternative to already available strategies.

Project Implementation Method

Identifying relevant sources, isolating of the two bacterial strains and selecting the proper protocol to form biofilms are the primary concerns of our project. Secondly, we will determine the equipment that will simulate the stress conditions of space and Mars, both bacterial biofilms will be exposed to individual stresses separately and together to compare their survival rate.

Bacterial death and survival ratio will be calculated after application of each condition. Different methods will be developed to confirm biofilm formation, after that the most relevant and ideal assays will be selected so as to avoid error in the calculations.

Benefits of the Project

Every astronaut needs some protective gear to work in space to keep them safe from the solar radiation, a significant cause of cancers and other life threatening conditions. This project will provide the data on the toughness of bacterial biofilms and how their cells and EPS layers can be extracted and used to make biomaterials that can be integrated into space suits-this biomaterial will interact with the harmful radiation of the Sun and protect the person wearing it, as it protected bacterial cells in a biofilm. This can reduce the development of diseases in astronauts, while they are exploring the hostile environment of Mars.

Furthermore, this biomaterial can also be used in space ships to protect the equipment from radiation and environmental damage. These microbes can also be used as model organisms for defense mechanisms that they exhibit and the genes that are involved. 

This project can also trigger the search for the formation of biofilms by other microorganisms and their respective strengths. Isolation and characterization of new strains can improve our understanding of the DNA repair mechanisms in these highly evolved microorganisms.

Technical Details of Final Deliverable

A transformed biological device (Recombinant Deinococcus.radiodurans strain) that has the ability to form a biofilm and can survive extreme condition in that association. It will be genetically engineered by using other biological constructs to engineer a new strain that has an added genetic sequence from another organism. This transformed device will work together with the other bacterial strain to form a complex biological community that has its own responses to harsh environment. DNA sequencing will sequence all its genome from the recombinant strain and assess the functionality of the genetic construct in its ability to form a biofilm in synergism.

Final Deliverable of the Project HW/SW integrated systemCore Industry OthersOther Industries Manufacturing Core Technology OthersOther TechnologiesSustainable Development Goals Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure, Responsible Consumption and Production, Climate ActionRequired Resources

Item Name	Type	No. of Units	Per Unit Cost (in Rs)	Total (in Rs)
			Total in (Rs)	77900
Consumables and plastics	Equipment	100	200	20000
Reagents and media	Equipment	146	150	21900
Bacterial Strains	Equipment	2	13000	26000
Printing	Miscellaneous	1	10000	10000