Grant: Discovery Grants Program - Individual

From a physical point of view, biological systems can be characterized by their multicomponent nature, an abundance of interfaces and their inherent non-equilibrium nature. The basic building blocks are lipids, and due to their amphiphilic nature, they form interfaces between structures such as cells and their surroundings. These interfaces are functional: For example, proteins can attach to or penetrate through membranes, thus providing channels for transport of ions and larger molecules in and out of a cell. Membranes are also able to fuse without losing their integrity. The lipid membrane is nature's own nanoenvironment. The building blocks, lipids, as well as many of the functional units, such as nanopores - ion channels and some bacterial toxins -  have dimensions in the nanoscale. Here, the interactions and functionality of channels and nanopores are being investigated using the methods of computational physics and chemistry. The goal is threefold: First, it is vital to identify the fundamental physical interactions and mechanisms governing these systems. Second, the acquired knowledge will be used to study new nanopore applications such as ultrasensitive nanosensors and targeted drug delivery. Third, there are methodological challenges. We use computational and theoretical molecular modeling and state-of-the-art methods will used and developed further. The methods used here are applicable in many other problems in biological, materials and soft matter physics and chemistry, and thus serve a wide community. In addition to nanopores,  biocolloids, such as vesicles are being investigated. The aim is to study how biocolloids can be manipulated, transported, separated and identified using electric fields. The physical phenomena related to these systems are very general, and the applications range from separation of cancerous cells to nanomotors and detection of toxins in water samples.