We developed a novel micro-device in which more than 10,000 asymmetric lipid bilayer membranes are formed at a time on micro-chamber arrays. The arrayed asymmetric lipid bilayers, where lipid compositions are different between the inner and outer leaflets, are formed with high efficiency of over 97% by injecting several types of liquids into the micro-device. The lipid compositional asymmetry is an intrinsic property of bio-membranes, which plays pivotal physiologic roles, such as signal transduction and apoptosis. Thus, this micro-device broadens the versatility of artificial lipid-bilayer systems, and could contribute to further medical and pharmacological applications.
Researcher Information
JST PRESTO
Research Area “Structural life science and advanced core technologies for innovative life science research”
Research Theme “Novel platform to measure the membrane transport activity simultaneous with the conformational change of membrane proteins”
Journal Information
Rikiya Watanabe, Naoki Soga, Tomoko Yamanaka, and Hiroyuki Noji. “High-throughput formation of lipid bilayer membrane arrays with an asymmetric lipid composition”. Scientific Reports, Published online 17 November 2014, doi: 10.1038/srep07076
Contact
[About Research]
Rikiya Watanabe, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor, Department of Applied Chemistry, The University of Tokyo
E-mail: 
URL: http://researchmap.jp/wrikiya/?lang=english
[About Program]
Koji Matsuo, Takafumi Kawaguchi, and Keiko Ochiai
Life Innovation Group, Department of Innovation Research, JST
E-mail: 