Regensburg 2025 – scientific programme
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BP: Fachverband Biologische Physik
BP 19: Membranes and Vesicles II
BP 19.10: Talk
Wednesday, March 19, 2025, 12:15–12:30, H46
Uptake of microgels by membrane wrapping — •Tanwi Debnath1, Jiarul Midya1,2, Thorsten Auth1, and Gerhard Gompper1 — 1Theoretical Physics of Living Matter, Institute for Advanced Simulation, Forschungszentrum Jülich, 52425 Jülich, Germany — 2School of Basic Sciences, IIT Bhubaneswar, 752050, India
The interaction of nano- and microcarriers with lipid-bilayer membranes plays a key role for cellular engulfment and drug delivery [1]. The physico-chemical parameters of the particles that control engulfment are their size, shape, and deformability [2]. Microgels are particularly versatile because their elasticity can be tuned in a wide range by changing the density of crosslinkers. Using a mass-spring model for the microgel and a continuum model for the membrane, we study microgel wrapping at lipid-bilayers. We use the Hertz theory to characterize the microgel’s Young’s modulus and Poisson’s ratio. With the help of triangulated membranes and energy minimization, we determine the interplay of microgel and membrane deformation. We predict wrapping diagrams for microgels with various Young’s moduli at membranes with various tensions. A higher microgel deformability increases the stability of partial-wrapped states; there is a transition from oblate at low wrapping fractions to cup-like shape at high wrapping fractions. Our results on this tunable and responsive system will allow the design of the microgels with optimal elastic properties for biomedical applications. [1] S. Dasgupta et al., J. Phys. Condens. Matter 29, 373003 (2017). [2] J. Midya et al., ACS Nano 17, 1935 (2023).
Keywords: microgel; membrane; wrapping; Hertz theory; elasticity