Biomacromolecules at Interfaces: Dendrimers and model cell membranes

Seminar by Marite Cardenas Gomez, Malmö University.

Abstract
Understanding the physical chemistry properties of biomacromolecules at interfaces is of major importance in biology and many industrial applications. Biomacromolecules coexist with other molecules and interactions with other molecules might affect the way they interact with interfaces. I have studied so far DNA and protein complexation with surfactants at model surfaces. Until now I have focous on very basic model surfaces, solid surfaces. Now I want to go a step further and use lipid membranes both supported and "free in solution". I plan to apply interfacial methods to elucidate dendrimer interactions with lipid bilayers. Dendrimes have a very wide potential use in the industry and present unique properties in the sence that they can be synthethysed being both the drug and the drug carrier. New insights in the biopharmaceutical activity of dendrimers and enw strategies will be developed to determine the structure-chemistry-bioactivity relationship for dendrimers.