Stabilized Black Lipid Membranes Prepared via Polymer Scaffolding

This invention presents a new approach for stabilizing black lipid membranes (BLMs) relying on inexpensive commercially available materials. Here, a method is employed that chemically modifies the lipid membrane to dramatically improve BLM stability.

Background:

Black lipid membranes (BLMs), are synthetic membranes used to measure ion channel activity. Suspended lipid membranes, BLMs, provide a key technological platform for the incorporation of ion channels and other biological nanopores. These nanopore membranes play a key role in DNA sequencing, biochemical sensing and have potential applications in medical diagnostics, environmental and biological sensing and other arenas. Limitations of BLMs are the poor chemical, mechanical, temporal and environmental stability, which restricts utilization to specialized operations.

Applications:

• DNA sequencing
• Biochemical sensing
• Medical diagnostics
• Environmental sensing
• Biological sensing
• Nanopore sequencing
• Nanopore sensing
• Nanopore diagnostics

Advantages:

• Using this approach BLMs are formed that support ion channel activity and are stable in excess of day one

Stage of Development:

Proof of concept partially demonstrated