Synthonems: building synthetic cilia from the bottom up
Presented by: Eberhard Bodenschatz
Max Planck Institute for Dynamics and Self-Organization
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Abstract
EBERHARD BODENSCHATZ
Title: Synthonems: building synthetic cilia from the bottom up
In nature, many vital processes rely on fluid flow based transport of cargo (dissolved substances, particulates, etc.) in order to overcome the time constraint of diffusive transport. The most common transport motif in nature involves flows driven by cilia or flagella. They are microscopic hair-like structures, flexible membrane extensions of the cell that produce rapid and regular bending waves responsible for the propulsion of organisms in fluids or for the promotion of fluid transport. It is known that the main contribution to their beating is due to motor proteins that drive sliding of the microtubule doublets. Here we present our approaches to building synthetic cilia from the bottom up. Our synthonems are assembled by stabilized microtubules and molecular motors. We present both experimental as well as theoretical results on their motion. This work is in collaboration with Isabella Guido, Andrej Vilfan, and Ramin Golestanian.