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<div class="block title" style="margin-top: 35px;"><h3 style="text-align: left;" id="Gold">Gold-coated membranes</h3></div> | <div class="block title" style="margin-top: 35px;"><h3 style="text-align: left;" id="Gold">Gold-coated membranes</h3></div> | ||
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− | <p>Sterlitech Polycarbonate Gold-Coated Membrane Filters were the first membranes we tested. The pores have a diameter of 0.4 micrometer, which is small enough to confine <i> | + | <p>Sterlitech Polycarbonate Gold-Coated Membrane Filters were the first membranes we tested. The pores have a diameter of 0.4 micrometer, which is small enough to confine <i> Escherichia coli </i> bacteria, which diameter and size are respectively about 1 micrometer and 2 micrometers. These membranes were relatively easy to manipulate with a forceps because of their high flexibility.</p> |
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Revision as of 17:04, 14 October 2018
INTRODUCTION
When manipulating genetically engineered organisms, it is crucial to guarantee the confinement of these organisms. In our case, we want the genetically modified bacteria to stay at the interface between the prosthesis and the external organic medium. At the same time, one of the main issues our project wants to tackle is the conduction of the neuron influx to the prosthesis. The answer to these questions came as a double solution: confinement of the bacteria by conductive nanoporous membranes. The membrane’s nanoporosity allows substances produced by our modified biofilm to pass through the membrane, but the bacteria remain confined. We tested the conductivity and biocompatibility of two types of membranes.
Figure 1: Bacteria + Conductive Nanoporous Membrane = Confined Bacteria