Biophysics in Lipid Membranes: Advanced Experimental Platforms for Artificial Membrane Transport

ABSTRACT

Artificial membrane transport systems have attracted growing interest as simplified models of biological membranes in supramolecular chemistry, chemical biology, and medicine. A wide variety of membrane‐active architectures have been realized, including artificial ion translocators, transmembrane signal transducers, cell‐penetrating peptides (CPPs), and related systems for transport across biological membranes. These systems mediate ion translocation, molecule uptake, and signaling events across a lipid bilayer, holding significant potential for applications in medicine, sensors, materials, and artificial cells. In this review article, we provide a comprehensive overview of different techniques used to evaluate the transport properties of synthetic systems across lipid bilayer membranes. The current review aims to make a collection of various established fluorescence‐ and non‐fluorescence‐based assays. This review demonstrates how carefully conducted experiments and the combination of complementary methods can ensure data reliability and deepen our understanding of the interplay among transport efficiency, selectivity, and mechanism.