Membrane Imaging

 

Phospholipid membrane is a universal structure that functions as a barrier. In living organisms, membrane marks the boundaries of cells. In biotechnology, phospholipid membranes provide compartments for synthesis of biomaterials, drug encapsulation, immobilization of biomarkers, etc.

 

Phospholipid membranes often have a complex architecture. In our lab, we fabricate model membranes to mimic the blood brain barrier, bacterial cell wall, mitochondrial membrane, etc. We use imaging tools, epifluorescence and atomic force microscopy, to study the self-assembly of various phospholipids in monolayers, bilayers and vesicles. Our goal is to elucidate the nature’s approaches to the construction of function-specific biomolecular assemblies.