PhD thesis supervisor: dr. Martynas Gavutis (apply for recommendation)
Artificial membranes for investigation of biophysical processes
Over past decade it was established that the biophysical properties of biological membrane like order, fluidity, rigidity, domain formation etc can consequently modify the functioning of membrane proteins. Thecompounds, with propensity to readily adsorb, insert and accumulate inside membranes are at the heart of debate in modern life sciences. However, the absence of readily available experimental tools and protocols are slowingdown the accumulation of the knowledge about the mechanism of action of such compounds. This PhD proposal intends to address this emerging need.
The PhD will progress in two directions. First, the development of the mimetics of the cell membrane. The novelty lies in the engineering of a sparsely tethered membrane based functional material that integrates a solidsubstrate, a self-assembled monolayer or polymer-based supporting layer, tethering interface, and a biologically relevant lipid layer, arranged to allow natural membrane dynamics while retaining mechanical stability andanalytical compatibility. Second, implementation of existing nanoscale analysis techniques to quantify (bio)physical/(bio)mechanical properties of the membrane upon interaction with membrane reactive compounds anddetermine the interaction mechanism. The novelty lies in the development and application of existing experimental approaches, primarily scanning probe and fluorescence microscopy, imaging ellipsometry and spectroscopy.