Membrane-active nanoparticles
Interaction of amphiphilic nanoparticles with lipid bilayers is a function of size and hydrophobicity ([cite]10.1021/nn3028858[/cite]). At the adsorption transition, the nanoparticles can destabilize the membranes, enhancing permeability and translocate through the membrane.
The aim of the project is to understand the mechanism of passive translocation through bilayers in order to design nanoparticles with surface properties for particular biomedical application.
Particular focus of the project
- Nanoparticles with tuned hydrophobicity
- Polymer-coated nanoparticles
- Destabilization of lipid bilayers
- Mechanism and energetics of translocation through bilayer
Associated projects
- Association of polymers and small solute molecules with phospholipid membranes
Theoretical physics, theory in soft matter, computer simulations Objectives In many cases the properties of cell membranes are modified through biopolymers and small solute molecules such as anesthetics or neurotransmitters. They can associate to membranes and significantly alter their structure, either thermodynamic state or induce reorganization in form of pores. The project aims to describe the fundamental ...
- ESR11-F: Delivery of molecular payloads through primary human cell membrane
In-vitro experiments on living cells, toxicology studies Contact Andre Dias Objectives The goal is to compare and validate the synthetic lipid models to biologically relevant cell types and to investigate how different nano-objects interact with representative lipid single and bilayers compared to human cells with and without therapeutic incorporation. Tasks and methodology Cellular uptake of fluorescence-labelled nano-complexes will be checked by ...
- ESR4-D: Molecular dynamics simulations of lipid bilayers and their interactions with nano-objects
Theoretical physics, theory in soft matter, computer simulations Contact Chanfei Su Objectives The challenge of this project is to understand the role of molecular properties of self-organized phosphor-lipid bilayers on the interaction behaviour with nano-objects such as spherical nanoparticles, stiff rods and protein-like copolymers: Implementing an appropriately coarse-grained model for bilayer membranes based on highly parallelized LAMPS-code. Dynamics of lipids and ...
Outreach activities
- Work in progress.
SNAL publications
- Work in progress.
Project team
- Bactericidal activity of self-assembled palmitic and stearic fatty acid crystals on highly ordered pyrolytic graphite - 04/09/2017
- Apatite nanoparticles strongly improve red blood cell cryopreservation by mediating trehalose delivery via enhanced membrane permeation - 26/06/2017
- Peroxidised phospholipid bilayers: insight from Coarse-Grained Molecular Dynamics simulations - 06/01/2016
- High-Throughput 3D Visualization of Nanoparticles attached to the Surface of Red Blood Cells - 26/12/2018
- The Effect of Coatings and Nerve Growth Factor on Attachment and Differentiation of Pheochromocytoma Cells - 31/12/2017
- Sugar-based collagen membrane cross-linking increases barrier capacity of membranes - 14/12/2017