EbbaBiolight

Combatting Persistent Biofilms using LubriShield™, a novel antifouling coating
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Combatting Persistent Biofilms using LubriShield™, a novel antifouling coating

Biofilms are a global health threat, existing as recalcitrant and protective matrix, inhibiting antibiotic penetration and resisting major efforts at being eradicated. Researchers from Cytacoat AB, Karolinska Institutet and the University of Southhampton have developed a novel coating to help prevent this build up from threatening fragile patients living with indwelling catheters. Romero et al used artificial human urine dynamic flow set-ups for understanding the properties of their novel anti-fouling ligand coating (LubriShield™) on indwelling catheters.The team chose a broad variety of uropathogens to represent common urinary biofilms. LubriShield™ resulted in less colonisation within dynamic flow conditions over 3 days... Read more →
How biofilm structural properties regulate nanoparticle distribution
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How biofilm structural properties regulate nanoparticle distribution

Biofilms form when bacteria colonies build a communal extracellular matrix polymeric substances. This shield provide both structural integrity and protection against antimicrobial treatments. This makes biofilm-associated infections particularly difficult to eradicate and drives the development of novel strategies to overcome biofilm-mediated resistance. One promising approach involves the use of nanoparticles (NPs) engineered to carry antimicrobial agents. However, the effectiveness of these NPs depends on their ability to penetrate and distribute throughout the biofilm — a process influenced by complex interactions between NPs and the biofilm’s structure. In a recent publication, Bart Coppens and Tom E.R. Belpaire from Bart Smeets' group... Read more →
Bacterial Amyloids' Role in Autoimmune Inflammation
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Bacterial Amyloids' Role in Autoimmune Inflammation

Curli is an amyloid protein produced by Salmonella enterica and other gut microbes as part of their biofilm structure. These biofilms help bacteria adhere to surfaces and evade immune responses. Recent findings suggest that curli may also trigger autoimmunity. A study published in Gut Microbes by Kaitlyn Grando and colleagues provides new insights into how curli interacts with the host immune system. In individuals with the HLA-B27 gene- a genetic risk factor for reactive arthritis and other inflammatory conditions -the immune system is more susceptible to the stress responses triggered by protein misfolding. The authors showed that curli activates the... Read more →
The role of polyP in biofilm formation of hypervirulent Klebsiella pneumoniae
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The role of polyP in biofilm formation of hypervirulent Klebsiella pneumoniae

A new study explores the role of inorganic polyphosphate (polyP) in the biofilm formation, capsule production, and virulence of hypervirulent Klebsiella pneumoniae (hvKP), a bacterial strain responsible for severe and often antibiotic-resistant infections. The study aimed to understand how polyP impacts the pathogenicity of these bacteria, as hypervirulent strains are increasingly problematic in clinical settings. To investigate this, the researchers from the University of Chile focused on polyphosphate kinase 1 (PPK1), an enzyme involved in the synthesis of polyP. By creating mutant strains of hvKP lacking the PPK1 enzyme (Δppk1 mutants), they studied the effects of polyP deficiency on several... Read more →
Real-time insights into curli and cellulose dynamics in UPEC
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Real-time insights into curli and cellulose dynamics in UPEC

In this study, researchers from AIMES-Center for the Advancement of Integrated Medical and Engineering Sciences, Karolinska Institutet and KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Sweden, investigated the biofilm formation process in uropathogenic Escherichia coli (UPEC) and determined how extracellular matrix (ECM) components like curli and cellulose contribute to biofilm maturation. They aimed to understand the spatial and temporal dynamics of biofilm formation, particularly focusing on UPEC 12, a strong biofilm producer. The researchers used EbbaBiolight 680 to stain the extracellular matrix of biofilm. EbbaBiolight was added to the LB-agar before the plate cast. Automated live imaging and 2-photon microscopy were... Read more →
Use of EbbaBiolight in the development of a new root canal sterilisation tool
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Use of EbbaBiolight in the development of a new root canal sterilisation tool

Sterilisation of root canals before filling is crucial, as unsterile root canals can lead to microbial regrowth and infection. Using methods available today, bacterial regrowth cannot always be prevented as root canal cleaning is challenging mostly due to limited access and the porous structure of dentin. A study by Koch & Palarie et al. published in the journal Microorganisms presents an electrochemical disinfection method using boron-doped diamond electrodes and saline solution to generate disinfectant radicals in situ. A canine tooth model was used to compare electrochemical cleaning with extended saline irrigation in its effectiveness to eliminate E. faecalis. By comparing... Read more →
How EbbaBiolight helps researchers to develop biofilm models
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How EbbaBiolight helps researchers to develop biofilm models

Formation of biofilm negatively influences wound healing and chronic wounds are known to contain biofilms. Advanced anti-biofilm approaches, preventing biofilm formation but also getting-rid-of already formed biofilm are necessary. However, a lack of standardised models for biofilm testing is a barrier in the field. To solve this issue, researchers from University of Tartu, Estonia published a study about novel biofilm models and protocols for assessing the antibacterial and antibiofilm properties of wound dressings. The study by Lorenz et al. showcases an in vitro model prepared by using artificial skin produced by electrospinning and crosslinking a gelatin−glucose matrix and an ex... Read more →
Biofilm formation of UPEC in a biomimetic device occurs at a late stage of colonisation
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Biofilm formation of UPEC in a biomimetic device occurs at a late stage of colonisation

Urinary tract infection (UTI) is a common type of infection of the urinary system caused by uropathogenic Escherichia coli (UPEC). Unsurprisingly, the microenvironment of the urinary tract provides a challenge for colonisation as bacteria are exposed to hydrodynamic shear stress. To be able to understand how UPEC colonises the urinary tract, researchers from AIMES, Karolinska Institutet, Sweden developed a biomimetic proximal-tubule-on-chip (PToC) device which allowed them to monitor UPEC attachment to renal epithelial cells under the shear stress. When the researchers injected UPEC (CFT073) wild-type bacteria, single cell tracking showed that most of the bacteria just passed through the device... Read more →
Antibiotic Susceptibility of Salmonella using EbbaBiolight supplemented agar
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Antibiotic Susceptibility of Salmonella using EbbaBiolight supplemented agar

Antibiotic susceptibility testing is widely performed in clinical microbiology labs. The disk diffusion method is the gold standard for confirming the susceptibility of bacteria. Using this method, introduced by Bauer and Kirby in 1956, a standardized bacterial suspension is prepared and inoculated onto solidified agar and an antibiotic-treated paper (disk) is tapped on the inoculated plate. The disc containing the antibiotic is allowed to diffuse through the solidified agar, resulting in the formation of an inhibition zone after the overnight incubation at 35 °C. The size of the inhibition zone formed around the paper disc is measured and the assay... Read more →
Uncovering bacteria & funghi interactions
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Uncovering bacteria & funghi interactions

Microbial populations communicate to achieve tasks that a single organism can not. Therefore, understanding the intricate interactions between different microorganisms is an essential missing piece of scientific knowledge. Elucidating the details of the interaction between Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Candida albicans is of particular interest for biochemical science and clinical practice as these pathogens are associated with a high rate of nosocomial infections worldwide. It is known that Pseudomonas and Candida are commonly found together and Pseudomonas is known to reduce the growth of the fungus both via physical contact and the release of chemical signals. However, conventional methods for studying... Read more →
Tracking of biofilm formation in Burkholderia
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Tracking of biofilm formation in Burkholderia

Bacteria and fungi produce biofilms whenever they adhere to a surface to protect themselves from environmental stressors, including antibiotics. Biofilm-related infections are therefore often hard to treat and do not respond well to antibiotic treatment. As an opportunistic pathogen of the respiratory tract Burkholderia cenocepacia is often responsible for hospital-acquired infections. While Burkholderia has an innate resistance to antibiotics, it also forms biofilms, rendering the treatment of these infections especially cumbersome. Burkholderia shares several similarities with Pseudomonas aeruginosa, both in the type of infections it causes, and the difficulty of treatment. In Pseudomonas, the wsp (wrinkly spreader phenotype) system is... Read more →
Tracking fungal biofilm formation
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Tracking fungal biofilm formation

Candida albicans is a commensal fungus that lives among the gut flora of 40 to 60% of healthy individuals, where it presents as ovoid “yeast” cells. Changes in its environment can trigger a switch towards the formation of multicellular hyphae which is thought to be a crucial step for the virulence of the fungus as intertwined hyphal filaments enable the formation of a biofilm. This means that, through biofilm formation, C. albicans can become an opportunistic pathogen and cause infections, which is particularly problematic in immunocompromised patients. When forming a biofilm, the fungus surrounds itself with “fungal superglue” - an... Read more →
Watching bacterial cities grow
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Watching bacterial cities grow

Tracking biofilm growth of Salmonella on a semi-solid substrate with GFP-expressing Salmonella bacteria in green and curli in self-produced ECM labeled with EbbaBiolight 680 in red. Video from Choong, F.X. et al. (2021) Biofilm, 3, 100060. (CC BY 4.0) When thinking about bacteria, we often imagine bacterial cells floating in liquid medium. But, in reality, this planktonic lifestyle is only a very small episode in the bacterial life cycle. To be able to survive environmental stress like nutrient shortages and attacks launched by cleaning brushes, antibiotics or disinfectants, they attach to surfaces and build colonies that are reinforced with a... Read more →
Are antimicrobial peptides ending the Antibiotic Crisis?
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Are antimicrobial peptides ending the Antibiotic Crisis?

Antibiotic resistance is a major worldwide threat, rising to dangerous levels in which first-line antibiotics will no longer be effective. In this study researchers at Freie Universität Berlin, Germany described the use of antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) as an alternative approach against bacterial resistance. Using sub-lethal doses of AMPs, they demonstrated that bacteria develop both tolerance and persistence to the treatment by increasing the production of curli and colonic acid, which are extracellular matrix (ECM) components important for biofilm formation. The authors studied the emergence of priming and resistance to AMPs by priming Escherichia coli with sub-lethal doses of mellitin and... Read more →
EbbaBiolight-like molecule for detection and quantification of bacteria
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EbbaBiolight-like molecule for detection and quantification of bacteria

Fast and reliable testing for pathogenic bacteria like Stapylococcus aureus (S. aureus) is highly desirable in the clinic as it can cause deep-seated infections such as osteomyelitis and endocarditis and is the major cause for hospital acquired infections of surgical wounds or indwelling medical devices. S. aureus is known for its ability to become resistant to antibiotics with the Methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) as the most prominent example causing epidemic waves of hospital-acquired and community-associated infections. To prevent the spread of resistant strains of S. aureus, rapid and widespread testing of patients and hospital environments is of utter importance. Researchers... Read more →
EbbaBiolight-like molecule detects biomarker for recurrent infection
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EbbaBiolight-like molecule detects biomarker for recurrent infection

A short video clip explains the significance of a test for cellulose in urine indicating the presence of a biofilm related infection. Bacteria such as Escherichia coli (E. coli) are known to hide during an infection by encasing themselves in extracellular matrix containing amyloid proteins and cellulose. When they grow like this, clusters of bacteria are called biofilm and they are hard to detect and partly resistant to antibiotics. The same bacteria are known for causing urinary tract infections (UTIs), which often turn out to be a recurrent illness. UTIs are very common and about 50 % of women have... Read more →
EbbaBiolight-like molecules reveals Salmonella biofilm secrets
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EbbaBiolight-like molecules reveals Salmonella biofilm secrets

A 2016 study by the Swedish Medical Nanoscience Center at Karolinska Institutet used an EbbaBiolight-like Molecule to detect growth of Salmonella biofilm. This unique fluorescent tracer molecule is non-bactericidal and is therefore capable to dynamically follow the formation of curli fibres and cellulose in Salmonella enterica biofilm in real time. In the scientific study, wild-type Salmonella enterica serovar Enteritidis (S. Enteritidis) producing both cellulose and curli in its extracellular matrix (ECM) was compared to isogenic mutants of S. Enteritidis lacking cellulose, curli or both ECM components. Visualization of the ECM components curli and cellulose during growth in liquid medium is... Read more →
Testimonial - Andrea Sass

Testimonial - Andrea Sass

Dr. Andrea Sass about EbbaBiolight 680: "In the Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Microbiology, Ghent University, we used EbbaBiolight 680 for visualizing extracellular matrix in pellicles formed by Pseudomonas aeruginosa. We found that the product labels pellicle matrix of P. aeruginosa specifically, bacterial cells were not labelled. The method revealed structural differences between pellicles of different strains and mutants, and gave us valuable insights into the pellicle structure. We were particularly impressed by how easy the optotracer solution is to use, just dilute it in phosphate buffered saline, or in medium. The cells can be grown in the presence of the optotracer,... Read more →
Testimonial - Cameron Croft

Testimonial - Cameron Croft

Cameron Croft about EbbaBiolight 680: "Our group has used crystal violet in the past to quantify the total biomass of E. coli biofilms, with mixed results. In addition to an end-point assay, we were looking for a method to quantify the development of biofilm throughout growth. In our hands, EbbaBiolight 680 has proven to be reliable for monitoring indications of early biofilm development in E. coli.” Cameron Croft, Postgraduate student in Dr. David Summers group at Department of Genetics, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK. Labeling of E. coli biofilm with EbbaBiolight 680. The overlay with brightfield images shows that biofilm... Read more →
Testimonial - Herve Straub

Testimonial - Herve Straub

Hervé Straub about EbbaBiolight 680: Hervé Straub is a PhD student at Empa - Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and and Technology, St. Gallen, Switzerland and is working on the establishment of an automatized microfluidic platform to study bacterial biofilm formation in real-time by optical microscopy. Pseudomonas aeruginosa (PAO1) grown in a microfluidic chamber with M9 medium for several days, labeled with EbbaBiolight 680. Red fluorescence channel was overlayed with bright field at 40X magnification. Image kindly provided from Hervé Straub, PhD student at Empa - Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and and Technology, St. Gallen, Switzerland Copyright... Read more →

2026

  • Xue, Y., Jin, X., Niu, J., Wang, W., Gui, H., Wei, X., Qin, J., Liu, Z., & Wang, X. (2026). Nanoantibiotic copper-cefazolin combats MRSA infection through a reverse Trojan horse strategy. Cell Press Blue, 100013. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.CPBLUE.2026.100013

2025

  • Laudazzi, M., Schifano, E., Sivori, F., Altieri, L., Uccelletti, D., di Domenico, E. G., Colonna, B., Pasqua, M., & Prosseda, G. (2025). The AcrAB efflux pump contributes to the virulence of Enteroaggregative E. coli by influencing the aggregative behavior. Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology, 15, 1633585. https://doi.org/10.3389/fcimb.2025.1633585
  • Lavrikova, A., Janda, M., Bujdáková, H., & Hensel, K. (2025). Eradication of single- and mixed-species biofilms of P. aeruginosa and S. aureus by pulsed streamer corona discharge cold atmospheric plasma. Science of The Total Environment, 959, 178184. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.SCITOTENV.2024.178184
  • Guagliano, G., Peluso, E., Butnarasu, C. S., Restivo, E., Sardelli, L., Frasca, E., Petrini, P., Tirelli, N., Sganga, S., Visai, L., & Visentin, S. (2025). Mucosomes as next-generation drug carriers for treating mucus-resident bacterial infections and biofilms. Scientific Reports, 2025 15:1, 15(1), 27071-. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-10496-y
  • Peng, Z., Piaggio, A. L., Giglio, G. L., Ortega, S. T., van Loosdrecht, M. C. M., & de Kreuk, M. K. (2025). Interaction of non-biodegradable particles and granular sludge in Nereda®—— from nanoparticles to microparticles. Water Research, 281, 123698. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.WATRES.2025.123698
  • Silva, P. D. C., Hill, D., & Harrison, F. (2025). Optimizing synthetic cystic fibrosis sputum media for growth of non-typeable Haemophilus influenzae. Access Microbiology, 7(6), 000979.v3. https://doi.org/10.1099/acmi.0.000979.v3
  • Agresti, L., Boonstra, E. C., Jutte, P. C., van der Mei, H. C., & Sjollema, J. (2025). The applicability of fluorescent optotracers for in vitro and in vivo Staphylococcus aureus detection and quantification. Scientific Reports, 15:1, 15(1), 34503-. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-17029-7
  • Romero, A. I., Surkov, S., Wirsén, P., Brookes, G., Bergström, L., Tejbrant, J., Dhamo, E., Wilks, S., Bryant, C., & Andersson, J. (2025). LubriShieldTM—A permanent urinary catheter coating that prevents uropathogen biofilm formation in vitro independent of host protein conditioning. Scientific Reports, 15(1), 38221-. https://doi.org/10.1371/JOURNAL.PONE.0328167
  • Zhang, T., Bär, J., Risberg, L., Gómez Mejia, A., Hammar, H., Löffler, S., Otzen, D. E., Andreasen, M., Meyer, R. L., Melican, K., Zinkernagel, A. S., & Richter-Dahlfors, A. (2025). Dynamic visualization of extracellular matrix components in S. aureus colony biofilms reveals functional amyloids leading to the formation of cap-like structures. Biofilm, 10, 100318. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.BIOFLM.2025.100318

2024

  • Grando, K., Bessho, S., Harrell, K., Kyrylchuk, K., Pantoja, A. M., Olubajo, S., Albicoro, F. J., Klein-Szanto, A., & Tükel, Ç. (2024). Bacterial amyloid curli activates the host unfolded protein response via IRE1α in the presence of HLA-B27. Gut Microbes, 16(1), 2392877. https://doi.org/10.1080/19490976.2024.2392877
  • Rojas, D., Marcoleta, A. E., Gálvez-Silva, M., Varas, M. A., Díaz, M., Hernández, M., Vargas, C., Nourdin-Galindo, G., Koch, E., Saldivia, P., Vielma, J., Gan, Y.-H., Chen, Y., Guiliani, N., & Chávez, F. P. (2024). Inorganic Polyphosphate Affects Biofilm Assembly, Capsule Formation, and Virulence of Hypervirulent ST23 Klebsiella pneumoniae. ACS Infectious Diseases, 10(2), 606–623. https://doi.org/10.1021/acsinfecdis.3c00509
  • Zhang, T., Ray, S., Melican, K., & Richter-Dahlfors, A. (2024). The maturation of native uropathogenic Escherichia coli biofilms seen through a non-interventional lens. Biofilm, 8, 100212. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bioflm.2024.100212
  • Ray, S., Löffler, S., & Richter-Dahlfors, A. (2024). High-Resolution Large-Area Image Analysis Deciphers the Distribution of Salmonella Cells and ECM Components in Biofilms Formed on Charged PEDOT:PSS Surfaces. Advanced Science. https://doi.org/10.1002/advs.202307322

2023

  • Antypas, H., Zhang, T., Choong, F. X., Melican, K., & Richter-Dahlfors, A. (2023). Dynamic single cell analysis in a proximal-tubule-on-chip reveals heterogeneous epithelial colonization strategies of uropathogenic Escherichia coli under shear stress. FEMS Microbes, 4, 1–12. https://doi.org/10.1093/femsmc/xtad007
  • Richter-Dahlfors, A., Kärkkäinen, E., & Choong, F. X. (2023). Fluorescent optotracers for bacterial and biofilm detection and diagnostics. Science and Technology of Advanced Materials, 24(1), 2246867. https://doi.org/10.1080/14686996.2023.2246867
  • Coppens, B., Belpaire, T. E. R., Rí Pe, J., Steenackers, H. P., Ramon, H., & Smeets, B. (2023). Anomalous diffusion of nanoparticles in the spatially heterogeneous biofilm environment. iScience, 26, 106861. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.isci.2023.106861
  • Lorenz, K., Preem, L., Sagor, K., Putrinš, M., Tenson, T., & Kogermann, K. (2023). Development of In Vitro and Ex Vivo Biofilm Models for the Assessment of Antibacterial Fibrous Electrospun Wound Dressings. Molecular Pharmaceutics, 20(2), 1230–1246. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.molpharmaceut.2c00902

2022

  • Koch, M., Palarie, V., Koch, L., Burkovski, A., Zulla, M., Rosiwal, S., & Karl, M. (2022). Preclinical Testing of Boron-Doped Diamond Electrodes for Root Canal Disinfection—A Series of Preliminary Studies. Microorganisms, 10(4). https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms10040782
  • Kärkkäinen, E., Jakobsson, S. G., Edlund, U., Richter-Dahlfors, A., & Choong, F. X. (2022). Optotracing for live selective fluorescence-based detection of Candida albicans biofilms. Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology, 12(981454). https://doi.org/10.3389/fcimb.2022.981454
  • Sass, A., Vandenbussche, I., Bellich, B., Cescutti, P., & Coenye, T. (2022). Pellicle Biofilm Formation in Burkholderia cenocepacia J2315 is Epigenetically Regulated through WspH, a Hybrid Two-Component System Kinase-Response Regulator. Journal of Bacteriology, 204(5). https://doi.org/10.1128/jb.00017-22
  • Butina, K., Lantz, L., Choong, F. X., Tomac, A., Shirani, H., Löffler, S., Nilsson, K. P. R., & Richter-Dahlfors, A. (2022). Structural Properties Dictating Selective Optotracer Detection of Staphylococcus aureus. ChemBioChem, 23(11). https://doi.org/10.1002/cbic.202100684
  • Pham, L. H. P., Colon-Ascanio, M., Ou, J., Ly, K., Hu, P., Choy, J. S., & Luo, X. (2022). Probing mutual interactions between Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Candida albicans in a biofabricated membrane-based microfluidic platform. Lab on a Chip, 22, 4349–4358. https://doi.org/10.1039/d2lc00728b
  • Eckert, J. A., Rosenberg, M., Rhen, M., Choong, F. X., & Richter-Dahlfors, A. (2022). An optotracer-based antibiotic susceptibility test specifically targeting the biofilm lifestyle of Salmonella. Biofilm, 4. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bioflm.2022.100083

2021

  • Rodríguez-Rojas, A., Baeder, D. Y., Johnston, P., Regoes, R. R., & Rolff, J. (2021). Bacteria primed by antimicrobial peptides develop tolerance and persist. PLoS Pathogens, 17(3), 1–30. https://doi.org/10.1371/JOURNAL.PPAT.1009443
  • Merkl, P., Aschtgen, M. S., Henriques-Normark, B., & Sotiriou, G. A. (2021). Biofilm interfacial acidity evaluation by pH-Responsive luminescent nanoparticle films. Biosensors and Bioelectronics, 171(October 2020), 112732. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bios.2020.112732
  • Choong, F. X., Huzell, S., Rosenberg, M., Eckert, J. A., Nagaraj, M., Zhang, T., Melican, K., Otzen, D. E., & Richter-Dahlfors, A. (2021). A semi high-throughput method for real-time monitoring of curli producing Salmonella biofilms on air-solid interfaces. Biofilm, 3(September), 100060. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bioflm.2021.100060

EbbaBiolight fluorescence spectra

We named our EbbaBiolight molecules after their peak emission wavelength when they are bound to their target. That means, when EbbaBiolight is bound to a target, it will emit fluorescence at peak emission indicated by the number associated with its name.

To view the excitation and emission spectra, please select your EbbaBiolight below :

Excitation (blue lines) and emission (red lines) spectra of unbound EbbaBiolight (dotted lines) and EbbaBiolight bound to a target (solid lines).
Monitoring curli production in liquid culture using EbbaBiolight

Monitoring curli production in liquid culture using EbbaBiolight

This protocol describes how to monitor kinetics of Salmonella extracellular matrix (curli) production in liquid culture. The method described here is based on Choong et al. (2016) npj Biofilms and Microbiomes, 2, 16024 where isogenic mutants of S. Enteritidis were used to identify the extracellular matrix components curli and cellulose as targets for optotracer binding. When used as described, EbbaBiolight does not label Salmonella cell wall and does not influence biofilm formation. Materials: EbbaBiolight Growth medium Bacteria on standard culture plate 96-well plate (round bottom) with cover Deionized water Equipment: Incubator (28°C) Shaking Incubator (37°C) Fluorescence plate reader Assay Procedure:... Read more →
Monitoring curli in bacterial biofilms forming on semi-solid agar

Monitoring curli in bacterial biofilms forming on semi-solid agar

This protocol describes how to use EbbaBiolight to visualise curli in biofilm forming on semi-solid agar in real-time. Curli is a functional amyloid produced by many Enterobactericeae involved in adhesion to surfaces, cell aggregation, and biofilm formation. EbbaBiolight are versatile molecules that have been reported to target various structures in the cell wall of gram-positive bacteria and the extracellular matrix of gram-negative bacteria. Curli has been identified as one of the major targets for EbbaBiolight in Salmonella biofilms using wildtype bacteria as well as curli deficient (ΔcsgA) strains. For reference, see Choong et al. (2021) Biofilms, 3, 100060. We recommend... Read more →
Labeling of surface biofilm using EbbaBiolight

Labeling of surface biofilm using EbbaBiolight

This protocol describes how to grow Salmonella biofilm at an air-liquid interface using inclined glass coverslips and how to visualize Salmonella extracellular matrix component curli using EbbaBiolight. The method described here is based on Choong et al. (2016) npj Biofilms and Microbiomes, 2, 16024 where isogenic mutants of S. Enteritidis were used to identify the extracellular matrix components curli and cellulose as targets for optotracer binding. When used as recommended, EbbaBiolight does not label Salmonella cell wall and does not influence biofilm formation. If adding EbbaBiolight during biofilm growth is not feasible, it can also be applied after the biofilm... Read more →

Optotracing with EbbaBiolight

EbbaBiolight fluorescent tracer molecules are optotracers. Unlike conventional fluorescent dyes, optotracers bind promiscuously to a range of targets with repetitive motifs. EbbaBiolight has been shown to bind to curli and cellulose in Salmonella extracellular matrix [1,2], peptidoglycan and lipoteichoic acids in the cell envelope of Staphylococci [3], β-glucans from S. cerevisiae and Chitin in C. albicans [4]. Upon binding, the fluorescence intensity of the optotracer increases. This property makes it possible to use EbbaBiolight for live fluorescent tracking of microorganisms, without the need to wash away unbound molecules. It is possible to read out fluorescence intensity at the emission maximum... Read more →
Antimicrobial peptides for targeting bacterial resistance

Antimicrobial peptides for targeting bacterial resistance

The problem of antibiotic resistance is leading to rising fatalities due to bacterial infections world wide and extensive research into antibiotic resistance has uncovered that more and more bacterial species are becoming immune to antibiotics. In order to protect against bacterial resistance, antimicrobial peptides are investigated for targeting bacterial resistance. Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are natural cationic molecules that play an important role in the innate immune system of different organisms. AMPs differ from conventional antibiotics in terms of pharmacokinetics, a more narrow mutation window and fast effectiveness in killing bacteria as well as viruses and fungi. As AMPs have a... Read more →

EbbaBiolight fluorescence spectra

We named our EbbaBiolight molecules after their peak emission wavelength when they are bound to their target. That means, when EbbaBiolight is bound to a target, it will emit fluorescence at peak emission indicated by the number associated with its name. To view the excitation and emission spectra, please select your EbbaBiolight below : EbbaBiolight 480 EbbaBiolight 520 EbbaBiolight 540 EbbaBiolight 630 EbbaBiolight 680 Excitation (blue lines) and emission (red lines) spectra of unbound EbbaBiolight (dotted lines) and EbbaBiolight bound to a target (solid lines). Read more →

What is the role of biofilms in urinary tract infections?

Ebba Biotech welcomes you to tune in to our webinar featuring Dr. Ramon Maset from University College London. During his talk, Dr. Maset will present his research about the role of biofilms in urinary tract infections and highlight how the use of advanced tools like EbbaBiolight can help deepen our understanding of these infections. Dr. Maset graduated in Biochemistry and Biomedical Science (University of Valencia, Spain), followed by a research internship at the University of East Anglia (UK). He completed an MSc in the Interdisciplinary Biomedical Research Programme (IBRP) at the University of Warwick (UK), which was funded by the... Read more →

Opto-electronically active Materials for Infection Detection and Control

Ebba Biotech welcomes you to listen to our resident expert from the Center for the Advancement of the Integrated Medical and Engineering Sciences (AIMES) at Karolinska Institutet, Sweden - Dr. Susanne Löffler. During this talk titled "Opto-electronically active Materials for Infection Detection and Control", Dr. Löffler will be presenting AIMES research about using optotracers for infection detection and control. Read more about Dr. Löffler's work at AIMES here: https://aimes.se/ As a Group Leader at the Center for the Advancement of Integrated Medical and Engineering Sciences (AIMES) based in Stockholm, Sweden, Dr. Löffler specialises in Organic Bioelectronics for Bacterial Infection. Her... Read more →

Chemical sensors enable scientists to watch bacterial cities grow

The Research Square video provides a summary of a publication by Choong et al. about a new semi-high throughput metod to monitor biofilm formation in Salmonella using EbbaBiolight. Please have a look on our summary article for more information. Read more →

Discovering an Antibiofilm Therapy for Urinary Tract Infections

Ebba Biotech welcomes you to listen to Dr. Ashraf Zarkan from University of Cambridge presenting his work on antibiofilm therapies for urinary tract infections using EbbaBiolight. About the speaker: Ashraf Zarkan is a microbiologist with a pharmaceutical background, holding a PhD in Biochemistry from the University of Cambridge. He did his bachelor’s degree in Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Chemistry followed by an MSc in Microbiology. He has a broad repertoire of training skills that range from experimental research to computational approaches to data analysis. Ash is passionate about tackling the increasing problem with antibiotic resistance, and his research has been focused... Read more →

Optotracers - multifunctional fluorescent tracers

On the first of June 2021, Ferdinand Choong, Ebba Biotech's co-founder, and Assistant Professor at Karolinska Institutet and AIMES (Center for the Advancement of Integrated Medical and Engineering), presented his research using Ebba Biotech's optotracers at the digital event Lab & Diagnostics of the Future 2021, held by Life Science Sweden. At this event, Ferdinand spoke about Ebba Biotech's optotracers multifunctional tracer for disease research and diagnostics. He explains the technical concept in large and Ebba Biotech's three product series, Amytracker - used to detect amyloids and other protein aggregates, Ebba Biolight - used to detect bacteria and biofilm, Carbotrace... Read more →

Optotracing for detection & quantification of Staphylococci

Ebba Biotech welcomes you to listen to Dr. Karen Butina present her research findings using EbbaBiolight-like molecules. This webinar will focus on the use of the Optotracer molecules and technology applied on Staphylococci bacteria. You can read more about Dr. Butina's work here. DISCLAIMER: Dr. Butina describes her work using HS-167 molecules. These are predecessor molecules to what is now commercialised under the product family name EbbaBiolight, which are marketed and sold by Ebba Biotech. Originally from Slovenia, Dr. Butina received her Bachelor’s degree in Biotechnology in Ljubljana before pursuing her Masters and PhD at KI in Sweden. At KI... Read more →

Agneta Richter-Dahlfors explains why biofilm is so important

If you always wondered what Biofilms are and why its important to being able to see them, you can watch our founder and chairman Professor Agneta Richter-Dahlfors' descriptive interview about Biofilms on Swedish National TV program "Godmorgon Sverige". Read more →

Cellulose in urine

Scientists at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden published a research paper (Antypas et al. (2019) npj Biofilms and Microbiomes, 4, 26) about the significance of a test for cellulose in urine indicating the presence of a biofilm related infection. Using EbbaBiolight-like Molecules, cellulose can be shown to be present in urine for the first time. Read more →

EbbaBiolight-like Molecule used for detection of cellulose in urine

Scientists at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden published a research paper (Antypas et al. (2019) npj Biofilms and Microbiomes, 4, 26) about the significance of a test for cellulose in urine indicating the presence of a biofilm related infection. Using EbbaBiolight-like Molecules, cellulose can be shown to be present in urine for the first time. Read more →