Modulation of Photoinduced Transmembrane Currents in a Fullerene-Doped Freestanding Lipid Bilayer by a Lateral Bias.

We report on a novel lipid bilayer system, in which a lateral bias can be applied in addition to a conventional transmembrane voltage. Freestanding bilayer lipid membranes (BLMs) doped with [6,6]-phenyl-C-butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM) were formed in a microaperture, around which metal electrodes were deposited. Using this system, it was possible to modulate and amplify photoinduced transmembrane currents by applying a lateral bias along the BLM.

Amphiphobic Septa Enhance the Mechanical Stability of Free-Standing Bilayer Lipid Membranes.

Artificial bilayer lipid membranes (BLMs) provide well-defined systems for investigating the fundamental properties of membrane proteins, including ion channels, and for screening the effect of drugs that act on them. However, the application of this technique is limited due to the low stability and low reconstitution efficiency of the process. We previously reported on improving the stability of BLM based on the fabrication of microapertures having a tapered edge in SiO/SiN septa and efficient ion channel incorporation based on vesicle fusion accelerated by a centrifugal force.

Mechanically stable solvent-free lipid bilayers in nano- and micro-tapered apertures for reconstitution of cell-free synthesized hERG channels.

The self-assembled bilayer lipid membrane (BLM) is the basic component of the cell membrane. The reconstitution of ion channel proteins in artificially formed BLMs represents a well-defined system for the functional analysis of ion channels and screening the effects of drugs that act on them. However, because BLMs are unstable, this limits the experimental throughput of BLM reconstitution systems.