Description of Research Area

A03-002   Nonequilibrium Dynamics of Mesoscopic Structures in Biomembranes

Research Subject

To reveal structure and function of biomembranes is one of the indispensable aspects of understanding biological phenomena. Cooperatively between the internal and the external degrees of freedom in biomembranes gives rise to their complex dynamical conformation changes. In the present Research Projects, by using theory and computer simulation, we mainly investigate non-equilibrium dynamics of multi-component biomembranes that exhibit phase separation and/or fluctuations. Our ultimate goal is to regulate their mesoscopic structures. More detailed objectives are; (i) to analytically investigate hydrodynamic effects on dynamics of multi-component biomembranes, (ii) to explore dynamics of morphological transitions of phase-separating multi-component membranes and vesicles under various non-equilibrium conditions, (iii) to understand the Brownian motion or anomalous diffusion in active biomembranes under non-equilibrium environments due such as to active proteins or external fields.

Co-Investigator

NOGUCHI, Hiroshi

Institute for Solid State Physics,
University of Tokyo

Co-Investigator

SHIBA, Hayato

Institute for Materials Research,
Tohoku University

Research Partner

TARAMA, Mitsusuke

Fukui Institute for Fundamental Chemistry, Kyoto University