Christopher's Research
Nanophotonic Supported Lipid Bilayers
Introduction
The lipid bilayer membrane is crucial to the proper functioning of
biological processes. It not only secludes a cell's contents from the
surrounding environment, but the membrane itself also serves as a dynamic
scaffold for membrane proteins. The lipid membrane's thickness is of
nanoscale dimension, thus making it an ideal structure for nano and micro
bioengineering applications.
My research of biological membranes is two-fold. The first objective is to
engineer a microfluidic structure that serves as learning tool for
understanding the fundamental mechanical behavior of lipid bilayers. The
second objective is to use the supported lipid membrane as a framework for
studying both transmembrane proteins as well as nanophotonic properties of
the functionalized bilayer.
Research involving a micromachined test structure has allowed characterization of several different methods for forming a lipid bilayer over micron-scale holes. The work thus far has yielded some initial lipid structures, which have been imaged using fluorescence microscopy and AFM techniques.
Research involving a micromachined test structure has allowed characterization of several different methods for forming a lipid bilayer over micron-scale holes. The work thus far has yielded some initial lipid structures, which have been imaged using fluorescence microscopy and AFM techniques.