Using the surfaces of droplets formed using droplet-based microfluidic technologies to study biomolecular interactions

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dc.contributor.authorMcDonald, Alex R.
dc.contributor.supervisorElvira, Katherine S.
dc.date.accessioned2023-09-01T20:17:38Z
dc.date.copyright2023en_US
dc.date.issued2023-09-01
dc.degree.departmentDepartment of Chemistry
dc.degree.levelMaster of Science M.Sc.en_US
dc.description.abstractThis thesis explores droplet-based microfluidic technologies to fabricate bespoke emulsions, focusing on lipid- and protein-based interactions on the surface of the droplets. I introduce microfluidic technologies for droplet formation and factors that influence droplet shape and size. Different approaches to forming single and double emulsions using droplet-based microfluidic technologies are discussed along with considerations such as surface chemistry, droplet stability, and applications. First, I use double emulsions to produce biomimetic vesicles (liposomes) and explain why dewetting is a key step in liposome fabrication. I fabricated a lipid-based surface on aqueous droplets as a bottom-up cell membrane model using a novel combination of naturally-derived lipids in the aqueous phase and a simple plug-and-play microcapillary platform. These asymmetric liposomes remain stable in an asymmetric conformation for over 24 h and are within the size range of actual eukaryotic cells. I show that this cell membrane model is more biomimetic than other current models based on the lipid composition and conditions it is fabricated in. Second, I create a protein-based surface on oil droplets to explore the roles of proteins on droplet stability in beer. This was the first time a hop-oil-in-beer emulsion was made on a microfluidic device to explore the role that proteins have in long-term emulsion stability, which serves as the first step in understanding the unknown stabilization mechanism that keeps beer shelf-stable. By digesting gluten, a protein commonly found in beer during fermentation, with a gluten-specific enzyme, I show that hop-oil emulsion stability is influenced by the concentration of gluten present in solution. This thesis highlights the potential of droplet-based microfluidic technologies to create custom surfaces on emulsions and characterize their properties in two distinct applications: academic and industry.en_US
dc.description.scholarlevelGraduateen_US
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/1828/15345
dc.languageEnglisheng
dc.language.isoenen_US
dc.rightsAvailable to the World Wide Weben_US
dc.subjectmicrofluidicsen_US
dc.subjectbiomolecularen_US
dc.subjectdropletsen_US
dc.subjectsurfacesen_US
dc.subjectproteinsen_US
dc.subjectbrewingen_US
dc.subjectlipidsen_US
dc.subjectliposomesen_US
dc.titleUsing the surfaces of droplets formed using droplet-based microfluidic technologies to study biomolecular interactionsen_US
dc.typeThesisen_US

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