Physics of lipid bilayer rupture from temperature, electric, and mechanical effects
Interdisciplinary Areas: | Engineering-Medicine |
---|
Project Description
Lipid bilayers are ubiquitous in cell membranes and play an important role in the encapsulation of nanoparticles and DNA for drug delivery and gene therapy. In this project, we will examine the mechanisms that lead to membrane rupture due to thermal fluctuations, ultrasonication, and/or electroporation, examining specific applications on how to control bacterial inactivation for biotechnology and food industries. We will investigate two stages of rupture: a first stage in which random mechanical perturbations result in initiation of a prepore from bilayer defects, followed by a second stage of nucleation and growth of pores leading to bilayer rupture. We will develop a formalism to predict the evolution of probability distribution of defects using a first passage time analysis. The knowledge of rate of formation of prepores will then be employed in the classical analysis of nucleation to describe bilayer rupture. The models will be employed to predict the effects of intensity of different types of external perturbations as well as bilayer composition on rupture time and probability. We will compare these results to experiments using model lipid bilayers and bacterial cells, as well as MD simulations of lipid bilayers.
Start Date.
May 2021
Postdoc Qualifications
The postdoctoral researcher should have a degree in Chemical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Materials Science, or equivalent. The research requires a strong background in fluid mechanics and rheology. Experience in computational fluid dynamics and colloidal/interfacial science is desirable.
Co-Advisors
Vivek Narsimhan, Assistant Professor of Chemical Engineering, vnarism@purdue.edu, https://engineering.purdue.edu/ChE/people/ptProfile?resource_id=169352
Ganesan Narsimhan, Professor of Agricultural and Biological Engineering, narsimha@purdue.edu, https://engineering.purdue.edu/ABE/people/ptProfile?resource_id=7368
References
G. Narsimhan and Z. Wang. “Rupture of equilibrium foam films due to random thermal and mechanical perturbations”. Colloids and Surfaces A, 282-283, pp 24-36, (2006)
Z. Wang and G. Narsimhan. “Rupture and draining of foam films due to random pressure fluctuations.” Langmuir, 23, pp 2437-2443, (2007)
Lyu, Y., Xiang, N., Zhu, X., & Narsimhan, G. (2017). Potential of mean force for insertion of antimicrobial peptide melittin into a pore in mixed DOPC/DOPG lipid bilayer by molecular dynamics simulation. The Journal of Chemical Physics, 146(15), 155101.
J.B. Dahl, V. Narsimhan, B. Gouveia, S. Kumar, E.S.G. Shaqfeh, and S.J. Muller. “Experimental observation of the asymmetric instability of intermediate-reduced-volume vesicles in extensional flow ” Soft Matter, 12, 3787-3796 (2016)
V. Narsimhan, A.P. Spann, and E. S. G. Shaqfeh. “The mechanism of shape instability for a vesicle in extensional flow" J. Fluid. Mech., 750, 144-190, (2014).