Electrochemical Measurements at Liposomes and Lipid Nanotubes

宾夕法尼亚州立大学的安德鲁·尤因教授得到了分析和表面化学计划的支持，以制造单层脂质体作为生物细胞的模型。这个想法是用先进的电化学方法研究脂质体的融合，以了解融合本身，并作为细胞胞吐的模型。将进行微电极工作以及使用纳米管尖端的扫描电化学显微镜(SECM)。要检查的参数包括囊泡大小、融合方式、膜成分、pH和离子强度，以及带有水凝胶的人工致密核心的发展。胞吐作用是细胞间通讯的基本过程，例如神经元之间的通讯。更好地了解胞吐作用可能会导致大脑功能和治疗模式的改进。囊泡融合是药物传递中的一个重要过程。这项工作在微流体学中有应用，也可能在生物传感器中应用。

Professor Andrew Ewing of Pennsylvania State University is supported by the Analytical and Surface Chemistry Program to fabricate unilamellar liposomes to use as models for biological cells. The idea is to study fusion of the liposomes using advanced electrochemical methods in order to learn about fusion itself, and as a model for cell exocytosis. Microelectrode work as well as scanning electrochemical microscopy (SECM) using nanotube tips will be performed. Parameters to be examined include vesicle size, mode of fusion, membrane composition, pH and ionic strength and development of an artificial dense core with hydrogels. Exocytosis is a fundamental process underlying communication between cells, for example between neurons. A better understanding of exocytosis could lead to improved models of brain function and treatment. Fusion of vesicles is an important process in drug delivery. There are applications of this work in microfluidics and possibly for biosensors as well.