Related papers: Multiscale modelling of bionano interface
We propose to use a compound of magnetic nanoparticles (20-100 nm) embedded in a flexible polymer (Polydimethylsiloxane PDMS) to filter circulating tumor cells (CTCs). The analysis of CTCs is an emerging tool for cancer biology research and…
We report on a molecular simulation method which captures the self-assembly of cationic lipid-DNA (CL-DNA) gene delivery complexes. Computational efficiency required for large length- and time-scale simulations is achieved through a…
The cell membrane is inherently asymmetric and heterogeneous in its composition, a feature that is crucial for its function. Using atomistic molecular dynamics simulations, the physical properties of a 3-component asymmetric mixed lipid…
We discuss the role coarse-grained models play in the investigation of the structure and thermodynamics of bilayer membranes, and we place them in the context of alternative approaches. Because they reduce the degrees of freedom and employ…
Protein dynamics play a crucial role in many biological processes and drug interactions. However, measuring, and simulating protein dynamics is challenging and time-consuming. While machine learning holds promise in deciphering the…
Coarse grained molecular dynamics simulations are presented in which the sensitivity of the ice nucleation rate to the hydrophilicity of a graphene nanoflake is investigated. We find that an optimal interaction strength for promoting ice…
We present theory and simulations which allow us to quantitatively calculate the amount of surface adsorption excess of charged nanoparticles onto a charged surface. The theory is very accurate for weakly charged nanoparticles and can be…
The study of biological systems witnessed a pervasive cross-fertilization between experimental investigation and computational methods. This gave rise to the development of new methodologies, able to tackle the complexity of biological…
Accelerated coarse-graining (CG) algorithms for simulating heterogeneous chemical reactions on surface systems have recently gained much attention. In the present paper, we consider such an issue by investigating the oscillation behavior of…
Recent developments in lipid membrane models for simulations are reviewed. To reduce computational costs, various coarse-grained molecular models have been proposed. Among them, implicit solvent (solvent-free) molecular models are…
We present a panoramic view of the utility of coarse-grained (CG) models to study folding and functions of proteins and RNA. Drawing largely on the methods developed in our group over the last twenty years, we describe a number of key…
In this paper, we present a new coarse-grained (CG) model for poly (alpha-peptoid)s that is compatible with the MARTINI CG FF. In the proposed model, CG poly (alpha-peptoid) is composed by a CG backbone (here we select polysarcosine as the…
Driven by the increasing volume of recorded data, the demand for simulation from experiments based at the Large Hadron Collider will rise sharply in the coming years. Addressing this demand solely with existing computationally intensive…
The emerging field of hybrid DNA - protein nanotechnology brings with it the potential for many novel materials which combine the addressability of DNA nanotechnology with versatility of protein interactions. However, the design and…
In tissues, cells in direct physical contact with each other can exchange ions or molecules via protein clusters called gap junctions that form channels across the membranes of adjacent cells. Here, we use a simplified biomimetic approach,…
Soft particles display highly versatile properties with respect to hard colloids, even more so at fluid-fluid interfaces. In particular, microgels, consisting of a cross-linked polymer network, are able to deform and flatten upon adsorption…
Protein chains of the (FG)$_n$ ($n \simeq$ 300) type cap the cytoplasmatic side of the nucleopore complex, which connects the nucleus to the remainder of an eukaryotic cell. We study the properties of three fundamental polymer models that…
Nucleic acids such as mRNA have emerged as a promising therapeutic modality with the capability of addressing a wide range of diseases. Lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) as a delivery platform for nucleic acids were used in the COVID-19 vaccines…
We study lipid translocation ("flip-flop") between the leaflets of a planar lipid bilayer with transition path sampling (TPS). Rare flip-flops compete with biological machineries that actively establish asymmetric lipid compositions.…
Understanding how different classes of molecules move across biological membranes is a prerequisite to predicting a solute's permeation rate, which is a critical factor in the fields of drug design and pharmacology. We use biased Molecular…