# Modeling Membrane Dynamics and Permeation

> **NIH NIH R01** · UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT AUSTIN · 2020 · $349,302

## Abstract

Project Summary
This proposal examines the efficiency and selectivity of peptide transport through biological
membranes. Peptides are widely used in biology to permeate through target membranes. They
transport material to specific cells as well as cell compartments. They are also used as defense
mechanisms against other organisms such as antimicrobial peptides, or against malignant cells
(anticancer peptides). The diversity and specificity of peptide functions make them an excellent
target for a study that aims to deliver material (drugs) with razor sharp accuracy into a selected
cell or a cell compartment. An interdisciplinary team was assembled to study peptide
interactions with biological membranes that encompass expertise in molecular dynamics
simulations of biological molecules, expertise in physical chemistry experiments on biological
systems that are able to pinpoint the location and measure the dynamics of a diverse set of
peptides passing through different types of membranes, and expertise in biological experiments
of peptide permeation into living cells. The interdisciplinary team is needed because of the
tremendous complexity of biological membranes that are made of thousands types of different
phospholipid molecules, and many other components such as cholesterol molecules and trans-
membrane proteins. This complexity is necessary for membrane function. Novel simulation and
experimental tools are developed that will make it possible to compute, predict and measure the
impact of membrane and peptide variation on permeability and function. Variations in selectivity
of the plasma membranes of cancer and normal cells were already illustrated and will be further
investigated to elucidate specificity of molecular mechanisms and offer design principles. This
project is expected to shed light on the detailed mechanisms that control the efficiency and
selectivity of peptide transport through biological membranes, as well as offer avenues to impact
these mechanisms.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9965180
- **Project number:** 2R01GM111364-05
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT AUSTIN
- **Principal Investigator:** ALFREDO CARDENAS
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $349,302
- **Award type:** 2
- **Project period:** 2016-06-01 → 2024-08-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9965180

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9965180, Modeling Membrane Dynamics and Permeation (2R01GM111364-05). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9965180. Licensed CC0.

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