From Nanowerk News:
Researchers at the University of Tokyo used MEMS (Micro Electro Mechanical Systems) technology to produce spherical vesicles (asymmetric giant lipid vesicles/liposomes) surrounded by a membrane that, like the membrane of our cells, has an inner and outer layer composed of different phospholipids. In contrast to conventional methods of creating vesicles, this new method leaves little trace of organic solvents inside the vesicle and is an important contribution as a fundamental technique for development of artificial cell models.
Giant liposome formation methods using MEMS technology can better control the size and the encapsulated concentration compared with conventional formation methods. However, when using these formation methods based on the MEMS technology, it is impossible to avoid incorporating organic solvents in the liposome membranes, greatly affecting the stability of the liposome and rendering such methods unsuitable as a tool for researching artificial cells.
Image Credit: Aki Sato
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