Molecular Transport across Biological Membranes

This course is part of the Bio3073 module Specialist Topics in Chemical Sciences. The course focuses on molecular exchange across cellular membranes which is one of the most fundamental phenomena in biology. Life relies on the delicate balance between influx and efflux processes: cells survive if they are able to keep the intracellular level of accumulated poisonous molecules below a toxic threshold while obtaining a quantity of nutrients sufficient for subsistence. This course reviews the structure and composition of the lipid bilayer as well as the repertoire of membrane proteins that function as molecule transporters in prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells. The course will cover the main mechanisms underlying molecular transport across biological membranes including passive diffusion, channel-facilitated diffusion, primary and secondary active transport. The course concludes with a theoretical workshop on the state-of-the-art technologies for studying membrane transport and a practical workshop on investigating membrane transport by using the microfluidics and microscopy facilities available at Exeter.
Read more (only accessible via Exeter log-in). For external users please send an email to s.pagliara@exeter.ac.uk
Prerequisites for Exeter students: Either BIO1343 or NSC1003.


Microfluidics and Lab-on-a-Chip Technologies

This course is part of the NSCM003 Module Further Advanced Topics in Chemistry. The course introduces cutting-edge technologies intersecting chemistry, physics and biotechnology that have become pivotal to molecular biology, DNA analysis and point-of-care diagnosis of diseases. The course covers the theoretical and experimental basis of microfluidics including the physical laws governing the movement of fluids at the micro- and nano-scale and some of the most relevant applications of lab-on-a-chip technologies. The course concludes with a theoretical workshop on the state-of-the-art of microfluidics and a practical workshop hands-on the fabrication and handling of microfluidic devices in the lab where students get to make their first microfluidic chips.
Read more (only accessible via Exeter log-in). For external users please send an email to s.pagliara@exeter.ac.uk
Prerequisites for Exeter students: NSC1003.



News

  • 8-September-2023: Congratulations Erin! New paper out at ISME Communications
  • 10-April-2023: Congratulations Ula! New paper out at PLoS Biology
  • 7-June-2022: Congratulations Ula! New paper out at eLife