From self-assembled bilayer lipid membranes (BLMs) to supported BLMs on metal and gel substrates to practical applications

The inspiration for lipid bilayer research, without question, comes from the biological world. Although the first report on self-assembled bilayer lipid membranes (BLMs) in vitro was reported in 1961, experimental scientists including surface, colloid, and bioscientists have been dealing with these interfacial phenomena since Robert Hooke's time (1672). BLMs have been used in a number of applications ranging from basic membrane biophysics studies to the conversion of solar energy via water photolysis, and to biosensor development using supported bilayer lipid membranes (s-BLMs). This paper briefly summarizes the past research of our laboratory since 1974 on the use of BLMs as models of certain biological membranes. Further, we describe in some details our present work on supported BLMs as practical biosensors. The experiments carried out in close collaboration with others on s-BLMs are also presented. Supported BLMs provide the foundation for a variety of lipid bilayer-based molecular sensors that are sensitive, versatile, inexpensive (i.e. disposable) and open to all sorts of experimentation.