Quantitative Studies of Bacterial Chemotaxis:  Relationship to Cell Growth Optimization and Metabolic Preferences
{'Code': '07020000', 'Directorate': {'Abbreviation': 'ENG', 'LongName': 'Directorate For Engineering'}, 'Division': {'Abbreviation': 'CBET', 'LongName': 'Div Of Chem, Bioeng, Env, & Transp Sys'}}
{'SignBlockName': 'Fred G. Heineken', 'PO_EMAI': None, 'PO_PHON': None}
Bacteria in natural habitats are continually changing environmental             conditions.  In order to maximize their growth and survival, they need          to optimize the metabolic response to these varying conditions.  Their          primary behavioral responses are to modify their own metabolism and to          change their location by migration.  Migration is the quickest mode of          response available to them.  Chemotaxis, or the biased movement of cells        in the direction of a chemical gradient favorable to their survival, is         a phenomena found to be ubiquitous among a variety of motile bacteria.                                                                                          Basic scientific understanding of the biochemical mechanisms underlying         chemotaxis has increased tremendously over the past two decades.                However, the implications of chemotaxis for applications of                     biotechnological importance have largely been neglected.  The PIs               propose a set of combined experimental and theoretical studies intended         to address two major questions relevant to microbial population behavior        in biological and biotechnological applications.                                                                                                                l.) How does the chemotactic response to nutrient attractants change as         cell growth conditions are varied, and how is this related to                   optimization of cell growth in a non-mixed environment?                                                                                                         2.) What is the net cell movement response to multiple, perhaps                 conflicting, chemotactic stimuli, and how does this depend on cell              metabolic preferences?                                                                                                                                          The experimental work will include measurements of bacterial motility           using two quantitative assays of the PIs' own design.  The theoretical          work will involve analysis of the effects of the experimentally observed        chemotactic responses on population growth. Fundamental insights gained         from these investigation may have implications on a number of important         areas, such as microbial population dynamics in non-mixed systems, cell         separations, biosensor and the monitoring of cell metabolic states.                                                                                             The PIs are considered to be extremely well qualified to carry out the          proposed research and I recommend that this proposal be funded for three        years in accordance with the adjusted revised budget submitted with this        proposal.
{'FirstName': 'Douglas', 'LastName': 'Lauffenburger', 'PI_MID_INIT': 'A', 'PI_SUFX_NAME': None, 'PI_FULL_NAME': 'Douglas A Lauffenburger', 'EmailAddress': 'lauffen@mit.edu', 'NSF_ID': '000308106', 'StartDate': '02/15/1987', 'EndDate': None, 'RoleCode': 'Principal Investigator'}
{'Name': 'University of Pennsylvania', 'CityName': 'Philadelphia', 'ZipCode': '191046205', 'PhoneNumber': '2158987293', 'StreetAddress': 'Research Services', 'StreetAddress2': '3451 Walnut St, 5th Flr Franklin', 'CountryName': 'United States', 'StateName': 'Pennsylvania', 'StateCode': 'PA', 'CONGRESSDISTRICT': '03', 'CONGRESS_DISTRICT_ORG': 'PA03', 'ORG_DUNS_NUM': '042250712', 'ORG_LGL_BUS_NAME': 'TRUSTEES OF THE UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA, THE', 'ORG_PRNT_DUNS_NUM': '042250712'}
{'Name': None, 'CityName': None, 'StateCode': None, 'ZipCode': None, 'StreetAddress': None, 'CountryCode': None, 'CountryName': None, 'StateName': None, 'CountryFlag': None, 'CONGRESSDISTRICT': None, 'CONGRESS_DISTRICT_PERF': '""'}
{'Code': '1491', 'Text': 'Cellular & Biochem Engineering'}
{'url': 'https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/download?DownloadFileName=1986&All=true', 'xml': '8612987.xml'}