BIOMIMETIC MEMBRANES AND USES THEREOF
First Claim
1. A liquid membrane system in the form of a biochannel containing bulk liquid membrane (BLM), biochannel containing emulsion liquid membrane (ELM), and biochannel containing supported (immobilised) liquid membrane (SLM), or a combination thereof, wherein the liquid membrane system comprises vesicles formed from one or more amphiphilic compounds forming a bilayer into which the biochannels have been incorporated and wherein the vesicles further comprise a stabilising oil phase.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A liquid membrane system is disclosed in the form of a biochannel containing bulk liquid membrane (BLM), biochannel containing emulsion liquid membrane (ELM), and biochannel containing supported (immobilised) liquid membrane (SLM), or a combination thereof, wherein said liquid membrane system is based on vesicles formed from amphiphilic compounds such as lipids forming a bilayer wherein biochannels have been incorporated and wherein said vesicles further contain a stabilising oil phase. The uses of the membrane system include water extraction from liquid aqueous media by forward osmosis, e.g. for desalination of salt water.
-
Citations
26 Claims
- 1. A liquid membrane system in the form of a biochannel containing bulk liquid membrane (BLM), biochannel containing emulsion liquid membrane (ELM), and biochannel containing supported (immobilised) liquid membrane (SLM), or a combination thereof, wherein the liquid membrane system comprises vesicles formed from one or more amphiphilic compounds forming a bilayer into which the biochannels have been incorporated and wherein the vesicles further comprise a stabilising oil phase.
-
14. A solventless giant protein vesicle consisting essentially of an amphiphilic lipid, transmembrane protein channels, and an oil in an aqueous dispersion, wherein the lipid to protein molar ratio is in the range of from about 1:
- 50 to about 1;
400. - View Dependent Claims (15)
- 50 to about 1;
-
16. A methods of preparing the giant protein vesicles consisting essentially of an amphiphilic lipid, transmembrane protein channels, and an oil in an aqueous dispersion, and wherein the lipid to protein molar ratio is in the range of from about 1:
- 50 to about 1;
400, the method comprising the steps of;a) preparing liposomes from a dried lipid solution that has been rehydrated in a detergent containing buffer and extruded through a filter of about 100 nm to about 500 nm pore size, b) mixing the liposomes from a) with a transmembrane protein solution, wherein the protein is optionally linked to a fluorescent label, c) dialysing the mixture from b) overnight using a molecular weight cut off of about 10 kDa, d) separating the proteoliposome vesicles formed in step c), e.g. by centrifugation, e) optionally obtaining an absorbance spectrum of the GPVs formed which is compatible with the fluorescent label used in order to verify correct insertion of the transmembrane protein in the vesicle membranes, and f) mixing the proteoliposomes obtained in step d) with a lipid in an oil phase solution containing the same lipid as in step a) in a molar ratio ranging from about 1;
3 v/v to about 1;
12 v/v,thereby resulting in the formation of GPVs from the proteoliposomes. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24)
- 50 to about 1;
-
17. A method of preparing giant protein vesicles consisting essentially of an amphiphilic lipid, transmembrane protein channels, and an oil in an aqueous dispersion, and wherein the lipid to protein molar ratio is in the range of from about 1:
- 50 to about 1;
400, the method comprising self assembling the vesicles from an aqueous mixture of said amphiphilic lipid, transmembrane protein channels, and oil following end-over-end mixing.
- 50 to about 1;
-
25. A composite filter membrane or disk created by sandwiching a layer of aquaporin containing proteoliposomes or giant protein vesicles in between filter materials selected from ultrafiltration membranes, nanofiltration membranes and microfiltration membranes.
-
26. A supported liquid membrane having an open or closed sandwich construction, wherein a substantially flat porous filter material provides support on one or both sides of a layer of proteoliposomes, thereby immobilising the layer.
Specification