Arthur Prindle, Ph.D.

Research

The Prindle lab will study the signals that prompt bacteria to leave the protective communities to which they belong and strike out on their own. Many bacteria, including those that infect humans, unite to form densely packed mats called biofilms, which enhance the population’s resistance to antibiotics. Although much has been learned about biofilm formation, little is known about how these aggregates naturally disperse. Recently, our lab discovered that the electrochemical signals bacteria use to communicate can initiate biofilm breakdown. Now, using an array of sophisticated techniques in biochemistry, bioengineering, and single-cell imaging, our group will identify the signals that trigger this process and observe how these signals activate genes involved in growth and motility—prompting bacterial migration. By uncovering new approaches for disrupting biofilms, this work could lead to the development of novel treatments for the two-thirds of antibiotic-resistant clinical infections that are rendered difficult to eradicate by the formation of biofilms.