Microfluidic trap-and-release system for lab-on-a-chip-based studies on giant vesicles.

We present a microfluidic array that allows lab-on-a-chip-based studies on hundreds of giant vesicles through immobilization, engineering and release of the vesicles. Real-time observations of the vesicular response are reported. This trap-and-release system is also used to efficiently narrow the size distribution of the vesicle population.

Polymer vesicles as microreactors for bioinspired calcium carbonate precipitation.

Giant polymer vesicles made by electroformation have been shown to encapsulate salts up to concentrations of about 10 mM. The impermeability of these "polymersomes" to calcium ions is demonstrated by the use of fluorescent probes dedicated to calcium analysis. Permeability to calcium ions can be triggered by the addition of calcimycin, an ionophore molecule that is able to transport cations selectively through the membrane.