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SUMMARY:Microfluidic methods to study single cells and peptide-membrane in
 teractions - Prof. Petra S. Dittrich\, Department of Biosystems Science an
 d Engineering\, ETH Zurich
DTSTART:20180606T093000Z
DTEND:20180606T103000Z
UID:TALK106492@talks.cam.ac.uk
CONTACT:Tom Scheidt
DESCRIPTION:Microfluidics is nowadays an established technology and provid
 es a huge toolbox for analytical and biophysical methods. Microfluidic pla
 tforms facilitate precise metering and handling of fluid volumes down to a
  few hundred picoliters\, positioning of cells\, vesicles or microparticle
 s\, creating of chemically defined liquid environments\, and tailoring mec
 hanical or physical conditions.\nIn this presentation\, our recent microfl
 uidic methods to study processes and properties of membranes of living cel
 ls as well as lipid vesicles are introduced and discussed. For these studi
 es\, we use an array of hydrodynamic traps to immobilize the cells or vesi
 cles. Each trap is positioned in a small microchamber that is defined by a
  valve. The valve can be opened and closed quickly to allow for a complete
  fluid exchange in the chamber. In combination with with high-sensitivity 
 detection techniques based on fluorescence spectroscopy and microscopy kin
 etic and mechanistic studies of molecule-membrane interactions can be perf
 ormed. We are particularly interested in monitoring interactions of peptid
 es and membranes. We used different types of short peptides that interacte
 d in various ways with the artificial membranes: permeating the membrane\;
  partitioning into the membrane\; aggregating inside the membrane\; fluidi
 zing or lysing the membrane by formation of pores. The reasons for the dif
 ferent properties are under discussion and in the focus of ongoing studies
 \, with the ultimate goal to understand and predict the properties of the 
 peptides and membranes. Both the technological improvements of the platfor
 m as well as the acquired knowledge about membranes will open the way to p
 roduce and tailor membranes on demand and hence\, to mimic living cells in
  future.\nIn addition\, an overview on further microfluidic methods for st
 udies of membranes under shear stress\, mechanical strains and for fusion 
 of membranes and the creation of artificial cells will be presented.
LOCATION:Department of Chemistry\, Cambridge\, Unilever lecture theatre
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