Fundamentals of fungal biofilms

Fungi are widely distributed in nature and are found in soil, air, lakes, rivers, plants, animals, food and clothing, and even in the human body.

Like other microorganisms, fungi can also grow as biofilms. Biofilms are microbial communities surrounded by an extracellular matrix, typically attached onto a surface; these communities are an integral part of natural ecosystems and represent the main mode of microbial life on Earth.

Our group studies filamentous fungal biofilms; these microbial communities are characterized by a network of filaments (hyphae), which form large spaces between cells and play an important role for biofilm development and structural integrity.

We study the growth and development of filamentous fungal biofilms, their beneficial applications in biotechnology (e.g., bioremediation, biomanufacturing, etc.), as well as their detrimental contributions to material deterioration.