Aim
International multidisciplinary team working in soft matter, drug delivery, bio-nanotechnology fields. We aim to understand the interactions of lipid membranes with nano-objects including nanoparticles, nanotubes, polymers, polymeric micelles and polymer therapeutic complexes/conjugates.
Wish to join?
Supported by
Smart Nano-objects for Alteration of Lipid bilayers (SNAL) Initial Training Network is a multidisciplinary EU-funded 7th Framework Programme specially designed to provide scientific and transferable skill training and career development for early stage researchers and experienced researchers in the field of lipid research. |
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Events
- Soft interfacial materials: from fundamentals to formulation
Scientific discussion meeting organised by Prof…
London, UK - XIX School of Pure and Applied Biophysics
The School focuses on contemporary biophysical …
Venice, Italy - Fourth International Symposium Frontiers in Polymer Science
The 3-day symposium will consist of 15 plenary …
Riva del Garda, Italy - Functional Soft Matter IFF Spring School
This year’s Spring School aims to give both an …
Jülich, Germany - 5th International Symposium Interface Biology of Implants
Topics
• Generation of regenerative materials
…Rostock, Germany - Fourth International Symposium Frontiers in Polymer Science
The 3-day symposium will consist of 15 plenary …
Riva del Garda, Italy - Fourth International Conference on Multifunctional, Hybrid and Nanomaterials (Hybrid Materials 2015)
Energy, the environment an…
Sitges, Spain - Proteins & Nanoparticles @ Membranes 2014
Lipid and surfactant membranes are important bu…
Julich, Germany
People
- Fabrice Thalmann
Theory and simulations of soft matter including hydrodynamics and phase transitions in lipid systems.
- Rongjun Chen
Design, synthesis and characterization of biofunctional materials. Formulation of specific drug delivery systems with…
- Carlos Marques
Self-assembled phospholipid bilayers; Vesicles, liposomes and supported membranes;
Structure, characterization and c… - Tia Keyes
Application of molecular spectroscopy and photophysics methods to biological problems, including cell imaging/environ…
- James Kirkpatrick
Various aspects of investigative pathology, which aims at unraveling the mechanisms by which diseases arise and progr…
- Vladimir Baulin
Theory and simulation of soft matter: polymers, surfactants, colloids, liquid crystals. Biophysics: self-organization…
- Nigel Slater
Targeted delivery strategies for DNA and viral therapeutics using a range of novel strategies, the improvement of the…
- Jens-Uwe Sommer
Polymer physics, simulations and theory. Molecular Dynamics, Monte Carlo simulations and analytical theory.
- Elena Ivanova
Expertise in Microbiology and Biotechnology/Nanobiotechnology. Design, fabrication and operation of planar micro-devi…
Research topics
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Permeability of lipid bilayers induced by polymers
Lipid bilayers emerge by self-organization of amphiphilic molecules and are the essential component of membranes of living cells. An important task of them is the selective exchange of substances between the cell and its environment. This becomes particularly interesting for delivering foreign molecules and RNA into the cel...
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Polymer micelles as drug carriers
Block copolymer micelles are composed of polymer chains with sequences of hydrophilic and hydrophobic blocks. In a dilute aqueous solution, they form spherical or cylindrical nano-objects comprised of several chains with a hydrophobic core and extended hydrophilic corona. Lipophilic drugs can be dissolved in the core of the...
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Anti-bacterial surfaces inspired by cicada and dragonfly wings
Many surfaces found in nature possess sophisticated topographical structures which provide them with exceptional properties. Nano-structured surface of lotus leafs efficiently repel water, microscopic brushes of gecko fingers drastically increase the contact with surfaces, topographical structures provides for enhanced anti-reflection surface properties i...
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Cyclodextrins and their applications
Cyclodextrins can complexate with polymers and thus can be grafted to surfaces. Grafted layers of sliding polymers are constructed from polymers threading through ring-like molecules grafted to a surface. Such grafting mode allows the polymer chains to freely slide inside the ring-like molecules, thus providing additional degree of freedom for gr...
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Translocation of nanoparticles, carbon nanotubes and polymers through bilayers
Cell membranes represent a serious protective barrier for external molecules, proteins, nanoparticles and drugs. This barrier is quite efficient in protecting the interior of the cells. However, large nanoscale objects, single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) have been found inside the cells both in direct and indirect biolo...
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