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Related Concept Videos

Diffusion01:21

Diffusion

Diffusion is a type of passive transport. In passive transport, a substance tends to move from an area of high concentration to an area of low concentration until the concentration is equal across the space. For example, take the diffusion of substances through the air. When someone opens a perfume bottle in a room filled with people, the perfume is at its highest concentration in the bottle and is at its lowest at the edges of the room. The perfume vapor will diffuse, or spread away, from the...
Diffusion01:12

Diffusion

Diffusion is the passive movement of substances down their concentration gradients—requiring no expenditure of cellular energy. Substances, such as molecules or ions, diffuse from an area of high concentration to an area of low concentration in the cytosol or across membranes. Eventually, the concentration will even out, with the substance moving randomly but causing no net change in concentration. Such a state is called dynamic equilibrium, which is essential for maintaining overall...
Protein Diffusion in the Membrane01:24

Protein Diffusion in the Membrane

Proteins show rotational as well as lateral diffusion across the membrane. The lateral diffusion of proteins was confirmed through the cell fusion experiment where mouse and human cells were fused, resulting in hybrid cells. When the human and mouse cells fused, the specific membrane proteins on human and mouse cells were marked with the red and green-fluorescent markers, respectively. Initially, the red and green fluorescence was located on the respective hemisphere of the cell. As time...
Physiological Pharmacokinetic Models: Blood Flow-Limited Versus Diffusion-Limited Models00:57

Physiological Pharmacokinetic Models: Blood Flow-Limited Versus Diffusion-Limited Models

Physiological pharmacokinetic models, often called flow-limited or perfusion models, typically assume a swift drug distribution between tissue and venous blood, creating a rapid drug equilibrium. This premise is based on the idea that drug diffusion is extremely fast, and the cell membrane presents no barrier to drug permeation. In this scenario, where no drug binding occurs, the drug concentration in the tissue equals that of the venous blood leaving the tissue. This greatly simplifies the...
Theories of Dissolution: Diffusion Layer Model01:15

Theories of Dissolution: Diffusion Layer Model

Dissolution, the process by which drug particles dissolve in a solvent, is explained by the diffusion layer model, a theoretical framework that simulates the absorption of oral drugs and allows us to analyze experimental data.
This process starts with a thin layer, saturated with the drug, forming at the interface between the solid and liquid. The solute then diffuses from this layer into the main solution. The Noyes-Whitney equation suggests that the rate of dissolution relies on the diffusion...
Behavior of Gas Molecules: Molecular Diffusion, Mean Free Path, and Effusion03:48

Behavior of Gas Molecules: Molecular Diffusion, Mean Free Path, and Effusion

Although gaseous molecules travel at tremendous speeds (hundreds of meters per second), they collide with other gaseous molecules and travel in many different directions before reaching the desired target. At room temperature, a gaseous molecule will experience billions of collisions per second. The mean free path is the average distance a molecule travels between collisions. The mean free path increases with decreasing pressure; in general, the mean free path for a gaseous molecule will be...

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 1, 2026

Mapping Molecular Diffusion in the Plasma Membrane by Multiple-Target Tracing (MTT)
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Mapping Molecular Diffusion in the Plasma Membrane by Multiple-Target Tracing (MTT)

Published on: May 27, 2012

Diffusion and association processes in biological systems: theory, computation and experiment.

Paolo Mereghetti1, Daria Kokh, J Andrew McCammon

  • 1Heidelberg Institute for Theoretical Studies (HITS) gGmbH, Schloss-Wolfsbrunnenweg 35, 69118 Heidelberg, Germany. rebecca.wade@h-its.org.

BMC Biophysics
|May 21, 2011
PubMed
Summary

Molecular diffusion is crucial for biological processes. This overview covers recent advances and challenges in understanding how molecular diffusion impacts biological function, as discussed at the Biological Diffusion and Brownian Dynamics Brainstorm workshop.

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Last Updated: Jun 1, 2026

Mapping Molecular Diffusion in the Plasma Membrane by Multiple-Target Tracing (MTT)
12:19

Mapping Molecular Diffusion in the Plasma Membrane by Multiple-Target Tracing (MTT)

Published on: May 27, 2012

Synthesis of Cyclic Polymers and Characterization of Their Diffusive Motion in the Melt State at the Single Molecule Level
06:55

Synthesis of Cyclic Polymers and Characterization of Their Diffusive Motion in the Melt State at the Single Molecule Level

Published on: September 26, 2016

Planar Gradient Diffusion System to Investigate Chemotaxis in a 3D Collagen Matrix
09:26

Planar Gradient Diffusion System to Investigate Chemotaxis in a 3D Collagen Matrix

Published on: June 12, 2015

Area of Science:

  • Biophysics
  • Cell Biology
  • Biochemistry

Background:

  • Macromolecular diffusion is essential for numerous biological processes.
  • Understanding molecular diffusion dynamics is key to elucidating biological functions.
  • Recent advancements in the field necessitate a consolidated overview.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To summarize recent methodological advances in studying macromolecular diffusion.
  • To highlight current challenges in understanding the influence of diffusion on biological function.
  • To provide insights from the Biological Diffusion and Brownian Dynamics Brainstorm (BDBDB2) workshop.

Main Methods:

  • Literature review of recent methodological advances.
  • Synthesis of discussions and findings from the BDBDB2 workshop.
  • Conceptual overview of diffusion principles in biological systems.

Main Results:

  • Identification of key recent advances in diffusion measurement and modeling techniques.
  • Discussion of persistent challenges in linking diffusion properties to specific biological outcomes.
  • Highlighting the interdisciplinary nature of diffusion research in biology.

Conclusions:

  • Continued methodological innovation is crucial for advancing the understanding of macromolecular diffusion.
  • Addressing current challenges requires integrated approaches across biophysics, cell biology, and biochemistry.
  • The BDBDB2 workshop served as a vital platform for discussing future research directions.