Synthetic Cells and Tissues
We are developing new approaches that use microfluidic and physical chemical techniques to assemble the molecules of cell membranes into structures that mimic the structure and behavior of cells. The image to the left shows a synthetic tissue formed by swelling a lipid film from the surface of a hydrogel. When the hydrogel contains detergent-solubilized intrinsic membrane proteins, the cellular structures that form from the swollen lipid film incorporate this protein in their membranes.