Nanodomain stabilization dynamics in plasma membranes of biological cells

Physical mechanisms of micro- and nanodomain formation in multicomponent lipid membranes

This article summarizes a variety of physical mechanisms proposed in the literature, which can generate micro- and nanodomains in multicomponent lipid bilayers and biomembranes. It mainly focusses on lipid-driven mechanisms that do not involve direct protein-protein interactions. Specifically, it considers (i) equilibrium mechanisms based on lipid-lipid phase separation such as critical cluster formation close to critical points, and multiple domain formation in curved geometries, (ii) equilibrium mechanisms that stabilize two-dimensional microemulsions, such as the effect of linactants and the effect of curvature-composition coupling in bilayers and monolayers, and (iii) non-equilibrium mechanisms induced by the interaction of a biomembrane with the cellular environment, such as membrane recycling and the pinning effects of the cytoplasm. Theoretical predictions are discussed together with simulations and experiments. The presentation is guided by the theory of phase transitions and critical phenomena, and the appendix summarizes the mathematical background in a concise way within the framework of the Ginzburg-Landau theory. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: Lipid order/lipid defects and lipid-control of protein activity edited by Dirk Schneider.

Microfluidic and lab-on-a-chip preparation routes for organic nanoparticles and vesicular systems for nanomedicine applications

In recent years, advancements in the fields of microfluidic and lab-on-a-chip technologies have provided unique opportunities for the implementation of nanomaterial production processes owing to the miniaturisation of the fluidic environment. It has been demonstrated that microfluidic reactors offer a range of advantages compared to conventional batch reactors, including improved controllability and uniformity of nanomaterial characteristics. In addition, the fast mixing achieved within microchannels, and the predictability of the laminar flow conditions, can be leveraged to investigate the nanomaterial formation dynamics. In this article recent developments in the field of microfluidic production of nanomaterials for drug delivery applications are reviewed. The features that make microfluidic reactors a suitable technological platform are discussed in terms of controllability of nanomaterials production. An overview of the various strategies developed for the production of organic nanoparticles and colloidal assemblies is presented, focusing on those nanomaterials that could have an impact on nanomedicine field such as drug nanoparticles, polymeric micelles, liposomes, polymersomes, polyplexes and hybrid nanoparticles. The effect of microfluidic environment on nanomaterials formation dynamics, as well as the use of microdevices as tools for nanomaterial investigation is also discussed.

Perspective: Flicking with flow: Can microfluidics revolutionize the cancer research?

According to the World Health Organization, cancer is one of the leading causes of death worldwide. Cancer research, in its all facets, is truly interdisciplinary in nature, cutting across the fields of fundamental and applied sciences, as well as biomedical engineering. In recent years, microfluidics has been applied successfully in cancer research. There remain, however, many elusive features of this disease, where microfluidic systems could throw new lights. In addition, some inherent features of microfluidic systems remain unexploited in cancer research. In this article, we first briefly review the advancement of microfluidics in cancer biology. We then describe the biophysical aspects of cancer and outline how microfluidic system could be useful in developing a deeper understanding on the underlying mechanisms. We next illustrate the effects of the confined environment of microchannel on cellular dynamics and argue that the tissue microconfinement could be a crucial facet in tumor development. Lastly, we attempt to highlight some of the most important problems in cancer biology, to inspire next level of microfluidic applications in cancer research.