Biomembrane Frontiers: Nanostructures, Models, and the Design of Life

The book, Biomembrane Frontiers: Nanostructures, Models, and the Design of Life, a volume in the Handbook of Modern Biophysics series, is based on a workshop held on the 20th and 21st of March 2008 at the University of California Davis. Unlike other meeting monographs, the book presents the exciting frontiers of biomembrane research for both expert and student c- leagues interested in research at the interface of biology and physics. The idea of the workshop originated from discussions about how to create an effective o- reach for the NSF-NIRT joint project Aerogel and Nanoporous Materials for Biomolecular Applications between the Longo, Faller, and Risbud groups at UC Davis and the groups of Curt Frank at Stanford and Joe Satcher at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. In the p- ject we interacted with researchers from diverse backgrounds and hoped to create an oppor- nity to foster a multi- and interdisciplinary exchange of ideas. Thus, the workshop idea was c- ceived. The workshop brought together experts working on many different aspects of biological membranes: from theory and simulation, to supported model bilayers, and to clinical appli- tions. Several material scientists working on the interactions of biological membranes with b- logical or nonbiological materials also participated. Such a diverse set of experts in one meeting is unusual, as the different communities of theorists and experimentalists working on model membranes and real biological systems are typically quite distinct and do not often interact."

HANDBOOK OF MODERN BIOPHYSICS

Series Editor Thomas Jue, PhD

 

Handbook of Modern Biophysics brings current biophysics topics into focus, so that biology, medical, engineering, mathematics, and physical-science students or researchers can learn fundamental concepts and the application of new techniques in addressing biomedical challenges. Chapters explicate the conceptual framework of the physics formalism and illustrate the biomedical applications. With the addition of problem sets, guides to further study, and references, the interested reader can continue to explore independently the ideas presented.

Volume II: Biomembrane Frontiers: Nanostructures, Models, and the Design of Life

Editors: Roland Faller, PhD, Thomas Jue, PhD, Marjorie L. Longo, PhD, and Subhash H. Risbud, PhD

In Biomembrane Frontiers: Nanostructures, Models, and the Design of Life, prominent researchers have established a foundation for the study of biophysics related to the following topics:

• Perspectives: Complexes in Liquids, 1900–2008
• Molecular Theory Applied to Lipid Bilayers and Lipid–Protein Interactions
• Membrane Elasticity and Mediated Interactions in Continuum Theory: A Differential Geometric Approach
• Structure and Dynamics of Lipid Monolayers: Theory and Applications
• Multiscale Modeling of Supported Lipid Bilayers
• Collective Dynamics in Lipid Membranes:
• From Pore Formation to Flip-Flops
• Spatiotemporal Organization of Spin-Coated Supported Model Membranes
• Nanopore Analysis of Nucleic Acids: Single-Molecule
  Studies of Molecular Dynamics, Structure, and Base Sequence
• Complex Applications of Simple FRAP on Membranes
• Punching Holes in Membranes: HowOligomeric
  Pore-Forming Proteins and Lipids Cooperate to Form Aqueous Channels in Membranes
• Morphogens, Membranes and Mechanotransduction in Articular Cartilage
• Lifecycle of a Lipoprotein from a Biophysical Perspective
• Targeting Apolipoproteins in Magnetic Resonance Imaging

 

About the Editors

The editors are internationally recognized biomembrane experts and have published extensively on the structure, dynamics, and function of model and cellular membranes. Roland Faller is an Associate Professor and the Joe & Essie Smith Endowed Chair in the Department of Chemical Engineering & Materials Science at the University of California Davis. He develops and uses modern molecular simulation techniques for soft condensed matter systems, particularly biomembranes. Thomas Jue is a Professor in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine at the University of California Davis. He develops and applies magnetic resonance techniques to study biochemical regulation in vivo. Marjorie L. Longo is a professor in the Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science at the University of California Davis. She applies microscopy techniques to study surface and transport properties of lipid bilayers and monolayers. Subhash H. Risbud is the Blacutt-Underwood Distinguished Professor of Materials Science in the Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science at the University of California at Davis and a Visiting Professor at Stanford University. His group develops new materials for nano- and biotechnology. The materials include glasses, ceramics, and nanoporous substrates for biological membranes.