A picture is worth more than a thousand words
Giant vesicles are a fascinating model membrane system with cell-size dimensions allowing direct microscopy observation of membrane phenomena. The three reviews from our group (see links below) and The Giant Vesicle Book (Dimova & Marques, CRC Press, 2019) describe ample research based on the use of giant vesicles.
| Some reviews: |
|---|
| Giant vesicles and their use in assays for assessing membrane phase state, curvature, mechanics and electrical properties, R. Dimova, Annu. Rev. Biophys. 48, 93-119 (2019) [PDF] |
| Giant vesicles: a biomimetic tool for membrane characterization, R. Dimova, in Advances in Planar Lipid Bilayers and Liposomes, vol. 16, pp. 1-50 (2012) [For full text access, send me an email] |
| A practical guide to giant vesicles. Probing the membrane nanoregime via optical microscopy, R. Dimova et al. J. Phys.: Condens. Matter 18, S1151-S1176 (2006) [PDF] |
Some highlights: vesicles and condensates (read more), membrane domains and tie lines (read more), vesicles encapsulating aqueous droplets (read more), tubes stabilized by negative spontaneous curvature (read more), hyperviscous vesicles (read more)
