Outreach Programs

Education Programs Technology Outreach Program International Programs Distinguished Lecturer Series International Center for Materials Research MRL Diversity Fellowship MRL Travel Fellowship

Intern: Blythe Miron, UCSB Mentor: Dimitis Stroumpoulis Faculty Supervisor: Matt Tirrell Department: Chemical Engineering

GRID PATTERNS AND VESCILE FUSION OF AMPHIPHILIC BILAYERS

My project involves patterning of ligands to cell adhesion in a concentration varying way. Using microcontact printing, I am able to transfer a polymerized bilayer grid pattern on a silicon dioxide surface from an inkpad containing a bilayer formed on mica by vesicle fusion. Subsequently two differently labeled vesicle solutions can be flown in parallel such that a concentration gradient of vesicles is built. Fusion of the vesicles in between the solid bilayer barriers (square corrals) will form a concentration gradient of fluid bilayer patches displaying different colors. This method of surface patterning can be used to analyze the affinity that different combinations of amphiphilic molecules have on specific cells, by observing how well cells can spread on the different corrals. Ultimately, this project could benefit the study of how a variety of human tissues could be grown on biocompatible surfaces and used in tissue therapy or biocompatible materials used for implantation.

Return to the RISE 2003 project list