9507366 Nelson This is a theoretical research grant jointly funded by the Divisions of Materials Research, Physics and Molecular and Cellular Biology. The research focuses on the physics of bilayer membranes. Such membranes are of great interest because they model the real biomembranes surrounding cells and their constituent organelles. They also have a host of technological applications to microencapsulation, drug delivery, biosensors, and as the foundation for novel materials with desirable optoelectronic, transport and biocompatibility properties. While the equilibrium conformations of artificial, one- component membranes are well studied and developed, the dynamics of membranes is less well developed. The following topics will be studied on the current grant: shapes of monolayer domains; response of artificial membranes to perturbation, and in particular newly emerging laser tweezer technology for creating fast, precise, delicate disturbances; dynamics of more realistic membranes containing active pumps, budding proteins, and other simplified machines; and, the formation of patterns both within one membrane and in aggregates of active membranes, in particular in aggregates of biological cells. %%% This is a theoretical research grant jointly funded by the Divisions of Materials Research, Physics and Molecular and Cellular Biology. The research focuses on the physics of bilayer membranes. Such membranes are of great interest because they model the real biomembranes surrounding cells and their constituent organelles. They also have a host of technological applications to microencapsulation, drug delivery, biosensors, and as the foundation for novel materials with desirable optoelectronic, transport and biocompatibility properties. ***
