Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

What are Membranes?

What are Membranes?

A key characteristic of life is the ability to separate the external environment from the internal space. To do this, cells have evolved semi-permeable membranes that regulate the passage of biological molecules. Additionally, the cell membrane defines a cell’s shape and interactions with the external environment. Eukaryotic cell membranes also serve to compartmentalize the internal space into organelles, including the endomembrane structures of the nucleus, endoplasmic reticulum and...

What are Membranes?

What are Membranes?

A cell's plasma membrane demarcates the cell's borders and determines the nature of its interaction with the environment. Cells exclude certain substances, take in others, and excrete some others in controlled quantities. The plasma membrane must be flexible to allow certain cells, such as red and white blood cells, to change their shape while passing through narrow capillaries. These are the more obvious plasma membrane functions. In addition, the plasma membrane's surface carries...

Membrane Fluidity

Membrane Fluidity

Cell membranes are composed of phospholipids, proteins, and carbohydrates loosely attached to one another through chemical interactions. Molecules are generally able to move about in the plane of the membrane, giving the membrane its flexible nature called fluidity. Two other features of the membrane contribute to membrane fluidity: the chemical structure of the phospholipids and the presence of cholesterol in the membrane.

Cellular Membranes and Drug Transport

Cellular Membranes and Drug Transport

Drugs must traverse multiple biological barriers, such as multi-layered skin, single-layered intestinal epithelium, and the plasma membrane, to reach their target sites within the body. The plasma membrane, a highly structured composite of phospholipids, carbohydrates, and proteins, is the cell's protective boundary, facilitating selective substance exchange.
Phospholipids arrange themselves into a bilayer, with hydrophilic heads oriented outward and hydrophobic tails facing inward.

Introduction to Membrane Traffic

Introduction to Membrane Traffic

The ER, Golgi apparatus, endosomes, and lysosomes work in tandem to modify, sort, and package proteins and lipids. An integrated membrane trafficking network facilitates the back and forth shuttling of molecules within different organelles in the same cell or across the cell membrane.
The transport of soluble and membrane proteins is mediated by transport vesicles that collect cargo from one cellular compartment and deliver it to another by fusing with the target organelle membrane. The Rab...

Detergent Purification of Membrane Proteins

Detergent Purification of Membrane Proteins

Detergents are used to purify the integral proteins of the membrane. The hydrophobic portion of the detergent can replace membrane phospholipids while solubilizing the membrane proteins. When detergent monomers reach a specific concentration in a solution called critical micelle concentration (CMC), they form micelles. Above CMC, the concentration of the detergent monomers remains in equilibrium with the micelle. The number of detergent monomers present in the CMC varies for each detergent, and...

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

3D bioprinting of alginate/gelatin hydrogels with tunable mechanical properties for skeletal muscle regeneration.

Biomaterials advances·2026

Same author

3D Bioprinted Engineered Living Microreactors for Continuous Organophosphorus Compound Degradation.

Small science·2025

Same author

Hybrid diacrylate resin-gelatin methacryloyl composite with bone-to-brain stiffness range.

Communications materials·2025

Same author

The Immobilization of Hyaluronic Acid in 3D Hydrogel Scaffolds Modulates Macrophage Polarization.

Advanced biology·2025

Same author

Tunable network architecture in a hydrogel with extreme vibration damping properties.

Communications materials·2025

Same author

Silk Fibroin/GelMA-Based Hydrogels as a Platform for Tissue Adhesives and Tissue Engineering.

ACS biomaterials science & engineering·2025

Same journal

Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate oxidase 4 in lung disease: a review of its biology and therapeutic potential.

Experimental biology and medicine (Maywood, N.J.)·2026

Same journal

Phenotypic profiling of Pathogen Box compounds MMV667494 and MMV028694 in bloodstream-form <i>Trypanosoma brucei brucei</i>.

Experimental biology and medicine (Maywood, N.J.)·2026

Same journal

High systolic blood pressure and stroke: evidence from the NHANES 1999-2023 and global burden of disease 2021.

Experimental biology and medicine (Maywood, N.J.)·2026

Same journal

Scaling human liver microphysiological systems: implementing a higher-throughput liver acinus microphysiological system platform.

Experimental biology and medicine (Maywood, N.J.)·2026

Same journal

Race, oxygen exposure, and retinopathy of prematurity: re-examining a persistent epidemiologic paradox.

Experimental biology and medicine (Maywood, N.J.)·2026

Same journal

Peripheral immune cells and glycation indices as potential diagnostic biomarkers in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

Experimental biology and medicine (Maywood, N.J.)·2026

See all related articles

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Mar 20, 2026

Reconstitution of Septin Assembly at Membranes to Study Biophysical Properties and Functions

Reconstitution of Septin Assembly at Membranes to Study Biophysical Properties and Functions

Published on: July 28, 2022

Strategies for cell membrane functionalization.

James Pk Armstrong¹, Adam W Perriman²

¹School of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, University of Bristol, Bristol BS8 1TD, UK.

Experimental Biology and Medicine (Maywood, N.J.)

|May 28, 2016

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Manipulating the cytoplasmic membrane enhances cellular therapies by overcoming challenges and integrating with new biotechnologies. This review covers emerging cell functionalization strategies and future directions in this dynamic field.

Keywords:

Functionalizing biomaterials cells membrane

More Related Videos

Assembly of Cell Mimicking Supported and Suspended Lipid Bilayer Models for the Study of Molecular Interactions

Assembly of Cell Mimicking Supported and Suspended Lipid Bilayer Models for the Study of Molecular Interactions

Published on: August 3, 2021

Construction of Model Lipid Membranes Incorporating G-protein Coupled Receptors GPCRs

Construction of Model Lipid Membranes Incorporating G-protein Coupled Receptors GPCRs

Published on: February 5, 2022

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Mar 20, 2026

Reconstitution of Septin Assembly at Membranes to Study Biophysical Properties and Functions

Reconstitution of Septin Assembly at Membranes to Study Biophysical Properties and Functions

Published on: July 28, 2022

Assembly of Cell Mimicking Supported and Suspended Lipid Bilayer Models for the Study of Molecular Interactions

Assembly of Cell Mimicking Supported and Suspended Lipid Bilayer Models for the Study of Molecular Interactions

Published on: August 3, 2021

Construction of Model Lipid Membranes Incorporating G-protein Coupled Receptors GPCRs

Construction of Model Lipid Membranes Incorporating G-protein Coupled Receptors GPCRs

Published on: February 5, 2022

Area of Science:

Cellular Biology
Biotechnology
Biomaterials

Background:

Conventional cellular therapies face significant challenges.
The cytoplasmic membrane is a key target for therapeutic enhancement.
Advancements in biotechnology offer new possibilities for cell functionalization.

Purpose of the Study:

To review emerging strategies for cell functionalization.
To highlight pioneering and recent developments in manipulating the cytoplasmic membrane.
To discuss future directions in cell-based therapies.

Main Methods:

Literature review of cell functionalization techniques.
Analysis of strategies for augmenting the cytoplasmic membrane.
Synthesis of recent advancements and future prospects.

Main Results:

Cellular membrane manipulation offers solutions to limitations in current cell therapies.
Novel approaches enable enhanced cell functions through targeted membrane augmentation.
Integration with biotechnologies expands therapeutic potential.

Conclusions:

Rational manipulation of the cytoplasmic membrane is crucial for advancing cellular therapies.
Emerging strategies in cell functionalization are rapidly evolving.
Future research will likely focus on synergistic applications of cell engineering and biotechnology.