Biomolecular Interactions with Cell and Model Membranes: Integrating Biophysical Experiments and Computational Simulations
A special issue of Membranes (ISSN 2077-0375). This special issue belongs to the section "Biological Membranes".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 July 2026 | Viewed by 5686
Special Issue Editors
Interests: membrane biophysics; membrane fusion; membrane proteins; antimicrobial peptides; viral fusion peptides; drug–membrane interactions; protein/peptide–membrane interactions
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Understanding how biomolecules interact with biological membranes is essential for elucidating the molecular basis of key physiological and pathological processes. These interactions govern phenomena such as signal transduction, membrane fusion, transport across lipid barriers, and the mechanisms of action of various bioactive compounds, including antimicrobial peptides, viral fusion peptides, protein toxins, and therapeutic agents. Experimental and computational approaches using membrane models have proven invaluable for isolating specific aspects of these interactions, offering mechanistic insights that are often difficult to obtain in complex cellular environments.
This Special Issue aims to collect original research and review articles that explore biomolecular interactions with biological and model membranes, such as cell membranes, micelles, monolayers, lipid bilayers, and liposomes (SUVs, LUVs, MLVs, GUVs), using a wide array of biophysical and computational methodologies. We especially encourage submissions employing techniques such as electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR), solution-state and solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), circular dichroism (CD), steady-state and time-resolved fluorescence spectroscopy, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC), dynamic light scattering (DLS), Langmuir monolayers, atomic force microscopy (AFM), small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS), and molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. Studies that integrate multiple experimental and/or computational approaches to reveal the structural, thermodynamic, or dynamic aspects of membrane-associated phenomena are of particular interest.
By fostering interdisciplinary contributions across biophysics, structural biology, and computational chemistry, this Special Issue aims to deepen our understanding of how biomolecules modulate membrane properties and function. Submissions addressing interactions relevant to infectious diseases, cancer, antimicrobial resistance, and drug delivery are particularly welcome, as are studies with potential biomedical or therapeutic applications.
Dr. Luis Guilherme Mansor Basso
Prof. Dr. Antônio José da Costa Filho
Guest Editors
Manuscript Submission Information
Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.
Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Membranes is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.
Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2200 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.
Keywords
- biomolecular interactions
- model membranes
- liposomes
- micelles
- lipid bilayers
- membrane biophysics
- protein–membrane interactions
- peptide–membrane interactions
- drug–membrane interactions
- biophysical characterization
- spectroscopic techniques
- molecular dynamics simulations
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