Gulliver Seminar : Laura Rodriguez Arriaga (Universidad Autonoma de Madrid)

Rolling vesicles to model cell motion

Vesicles, aqueous droplets stabilized by amphiphilic membranes, are largely used as models of biological membranes and as drug carriers. Their utility, however, depends critically on the degree of control achieved on vesicle properties in the fabrication process. In this talk, I will discuss the adequacy of emulsion droplets with controlled topologies, fabricated by microfluidics, to direct the assembly of vesicles with either symmetric or asymmetric membranes and increasingly complex internal media. Exploiting the control encapsulation of this technology, we fabricate minimal models of motile cells that exploit friction to move on surfaces. External actuation of a magnetic microparticle encapsulated within the cores of vesicles enables us to measure the tribological properties of membranes. These rolling vesicles may further be used as motile drug carriers that direct their motion along surface gradients.