Grounded and but mobile - Model membrane on surface

Research concerning the structure and function of biological membranes often relies on the use of surface sensitive methods. Therefore, solid-supported membranes (SSMs) sized their place in the canon of established membrane model systems. SSMs allow employing microscopy techniques such as scanning probe microscopy that permits the visualization of the lateral organization of membranes down to nanometer-sized domains. Another advantage of SSMs is their robustness rendering them highly attractive for biosensor applications. Especially, the possibility to create individually addressable microstructured lipid bilayer compartments is a striking feature for parallel processing, which is required for high throughput sensing. Concerning the functional insertion of transmembrone proteins, hybrid and free-standing planar lipid membranes allow reconstitution of rather large proteins and provide G reservoir for ion transport. As transmembrane proteins constitute the majority of drug targets, these systems are highly relevant for the development of drug screening assays.