Project description
Artificial molecular machines within lipid bilayer membranes
Molecular machines are essential in nature, facilitating ion transport across biological membranes. While living systems rely on these mechanisms for complex functions, synthetic analogues for out-of-equilibrium ion pumping remain undeveloped. The ERC-funded RELAYMACHINE project seeks to bridge this gap by designing artificial molecular machines embedded within lipid bilayer membranes. These synthetic systems will mimic biological ion pumps, enabling controlled transmembrane transport and catalysis. The project will focus on developing molecular machine ion transport relays and transmembrane pumps that drive non-equilibrium active transport. By advancing our understanding of out-of-equilibrium processes in lipid membranes, RELAYMACHINE will contribute to the fields of molecular machines and supramolecular chemistry, offering new tools for chemical and synthetic biology.
Objective
This program will develop artificial molecular machines confined within lipid bilayer membranes, to control transmembrane transport and catalysis in cellular systems. Molecular machines are ubiquitous in nature. At the heart of many biological processes are protein machines confined within biological membranes, which drive non-equilibrium transmembrane ion pumping via the consumption of chemical fuels. Biology has evolved to utilise the controlled nanomechanical motion of molecular machines to mediate numerous complex tasks in the cellular environment – a clear indication of the immense technological potential of synthetic systems that work in a comparable way.
Despite this fundamental importance, synthetic molecular machines able to facilitate out-of-equilibrium pumping of ions have not been developed. To address this key challenge, this project seeks to develop synthetic analogues of biology’s membrane pumps: artificial molecular machinery that can interface and be manipulated within lipid bilayer membranes.
Its objectives are to develop:
• molecular machine ion transport relays, able to pass ions and catalysts across lipid membranes
• stimuli-responsive mechanically-interlocked ion and molecular transport shuttles
• molecular machine transmembrane pumps, capable of non-equilibrium active transport
Besides crucial impact to the rapidly expanding, but to date surprisingly distinct fields of molecular machines and membrane supramolecular chemistry, the results from this project will enhance our understanding of non-equilibrium processes within and across lipid bilayer membranes. We anticipate that the systems developed over the course of the grant will provide the basis for the longer-term development of novel tools for applications in chemical and synthetic biology, such as to regulate the flow of material in and out of artificial cells, and in systems chemistry applications which enable the non-equilibrium manipulation of matter at the nanoscale.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
- natural sciences biological sciences biochemistry biomolecules proteins
- natural sciences chemical sciences catalysis
- engineering and technology environmental engineering energy and fuels
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Keywords
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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HORIZON.1.1 - European Research Council (ERC)
MAIN PROGRAMME
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Topic(s)
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
HORIZON-ERC - HORIZON ERC Grants
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Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) ERC-2024-COG
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Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.
OX1 2JD Oxford
United Kingdom
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.