Dynamics of Engineered Artificial Membranes and Biosensors

Learn about the state of the art in building artificial membranes and synthetic biological devices, and in constructing mathematical models for their dynamics at multiple time and spatial scales with this comprehensive book. Drawing on recent advances in bioengineering and biochemistry, it describes how to engineer tethered bilayer lipid membranes, bioelectronic interfaces, high-resolution biosensors, and diagnostic devices for non-invasive cellular measurements and electroporation. Multi-physics models combining atomistic (molecular dynamics and coarse-grained molecular dynamics), mesoscopic (Poisson–Nernst–Planck), and macroscopic (reaction-rate theory) dynamics provide a complete structure-to-function description of these devices. Experiments and dynamic models explain how anti-microbial peptides penetrate membranes, how molecular machine biosensors built out of artificial membranes can detect femtomolar concentrations, and how electroporation can be controlled. Supported by atomistic simulation code online, this is essential reading for researchers, students and professionals in bioengineering, chemical engineering, biophysics, applied mathematics, and electrical engineering.

Part I. Background: 1. Motivation and outline; 2. Biochemistry for engineers: a short primer; 3. Engineered artificial membranes; Part II. Building Engineered Membranes, Devices and Experimental Results: 4. Formation of engineered tethered membranes; 5. Ion-channel switch biosensor; 6. Physiochemical membrane platforms; 7. Experimental measurement methods for engineered membranes; Part III. Dynamic Models for Artificial Membranes: Atoms-to-Device: 8. Reaction-rate constrained models for engineered membranes; 9. Reaction-rate constrained models for the ICS biosensor; 10. Diffusion constrained continuum models of engineered membranes; 11. Electroporation models in engineered artificial membranes; 12. Electroporation measurements in engineered membranes; 13. Electrophysiological response of ion channels and cells; 14. Coarse-grained molecular dynamics; 15. All-atom molecular dynamics simulation models; 16. Closing summary for part III: from atoms to device; Appendices: Appendix A. Elementary primer on partial differential equations (PDE); Appendix B. Tutorial on coarse-grained molecular dynamics with peptides.

William Hoiles is a Research Fellow in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of British Columbia, Vancouver.
Vikram Krishnamurthy is a Professor in the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering and Cornell Tech at Cornell University, New York. He is a Fellow of the IEEE and the author of Partially Observed Markov Decision Processes (Cambridge, 2016).
Bruce Cornell is an Adjunct Professor in the School of Life Sciences at the University of Technology Sydney, and at Western Sydney University. He is also the Principal Scientist at Surgical Diagnostics Pty Ltd and SDx Tethered Membranes Pty Ltd.