Resolving molecule information in dynamic lipid membrane with metasurfaces

Detecting biomolecules, such as lipids, proteins, and nucleic acids and their interactions in heterogeneous biological samples is crucial for understanding a multitude of biological mechanisms in health and disease. For instance, molecular signaling and transport in cells are governed by the association and insertion of proteins with the cell lipid membrane. However, current label-free techniques struggle to differentiate protein insertion, chemical release and membrane disruption processes, thus forcing experimentalists to rely on multiple techniques that usually require different experimental settings. It is therefore essential to develop new biosensors with high sensitivity and selectivity that are capable of leveraging the chemical signature of different biomolecular species to enable investigation of complex multi-analyte interactions.