Supported bilayers and vesicles
Objectives
The intention of this project is to obtain experimental information and feedback for system improvement of nano-objects interacting with model membranes (supported bilayers and vesicles).
- to apply a combination of techniques including neutron reflectivity, SANS (Manchester, Unilever), AFM, TEM (Strasbourg, Manchester) to characterise supported lipid bilayers and model vesicles;
- to investigate how different nano-objects (polymers, block copolymers, short peptide aggregates, CNTs, nanoparticles) interact with lipid bilayers;
- to undertake selected studies of the interactions with therapeutic complexes to identify the vectors that provide optimal therapeutic delivery with minimal cytotoxicity.
Tasks and methodology
Interaction of nano-objects with monolayers and supported membrane lipid bilayers. The flat geometry of lipid mono- and bi-layers allows for the use of cutting edge techniques, e.g. neutron reflectivity, dual polarisation interferometry, ellipsometry, etc. in order to identify the intrinsic features of the interactions between nano-objects and the lipid systems under consideration. The work will start with establishing the methodology for producing robust supported mono- and bi-layer via Langmuir trough.
Starting date
September 2014
