Interplay between lipid membranes, vesicles, and membrane proteins

Lipid membranes in cells can dynamically modify their shapes to facilitate the movement of cellular components and transport of materials. In this process, membrane-embedded proteins, as well as the mechanical parameters of the membranes like tension and fluidity, can influence the resulting shape changes and biochemical responses. We seek to understand the complex interplay between membranes and proteins by employing experimental platforms on which we observe their interactions at the single-molecule level.