Materials for Biology and Medecine

Abstract

In this class we first review the unique properties of water and the physico-chemical processes which give rise to the formation of self-assembling structures of amphiphiles in water. We then describe the specificity of cell membranes (phospholipids bilayers) and review the processes by which cells interact with their environment, i.e. both with the extracellular matrix and with other cells.

Objective

By learning the basic principles of self-assembly, the students can predict and calculate shape and size of desirable structures by choosing the appropriate amphiphile and the proper environmental conditions (pH, ionic strength…). That is an important step since such structures are at the moment one of the most common ways for drug encapsulation and delivery to specific targeted cells. By exploiting their additional knowledge in cell interactions, the students are then also able to propose the design of e.g. a ‘device’ for the production of liposomes delivering antibiotics, or a ‘cell-based array’ for drug screen (useful in industrial research instead of using laboratory animals) in the form of a mini-proposal, as a final research project.

Content

-Role of water as a solvent -Amphiphiles and self-assembly (micelles, vesicles) -Biological membranes and specificity of bilayers -Thermodynamics of self-assembly -Intramolecular (intra-aggregate) forces -Cell-to-matrix interactions (2D and 3D) -Cell-to-cell interactions

Resources