Directory > Faculty
Angelica Leitmannova
Liu, DrSc., Ph.D.
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Visiting (Research) Professor
Overseas Coordinator, Center of Interface Sciences (CIS)
Professor of Biophysics at the Slovak Technical University
in Bratislava, Slovak Republic
Professor of Biophysics at the Masaryk University in Brno,
Czech Republic
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Areas
of Research Interest
Research objectives as well as the pedagogic work in the course
PSL 420 are intended for advanced students and new researchers
interested in membrane biophysics. The focus is on biophysical
aspects of biological membranes. The area of membrane biophysics
is perused from the origin of the lipid bilayer concept to membrane
transport, electrochemistry, physiology, bioenergetics, and to
membrane photobiology. Emphasis in the research is placed on theoretical
and experimental model systems, as related to the structure and
function of biomembranes.
The connecting thread among these topics is the experimental bilayer
lipid membranes (planar BLMs, supported BLMs, and spherical liposomes).
The basic principles of thermodynamics, kinetics, the Nernst-Planck
equation, colloid and surface chemistry are applied to the above-listed
topics of membrane biophysics. Some potential practical applications
of self assembled lipid bilayers as biosensors are an essential
part of the research work, of publications and of the PSL 420
course for advanced undergraduate and also for graduate students.
This is because of the fact that recent advances in microelectronics
coupled with membrane research of the past decades have come of
age and are poised for biotechnological exploitation. Many exciting
new discoveries are happening in the interdisciplinary sciences.
Membrane biophysics, membrane physiology and biosensors development
are only few disciplines in this exciting area of the fast development
and of the potential for the future.
Also, another important project is the international collaboration
with Slovak Republic and Czech Republic in developing a Center
of Interface Sciences (CIS) at the Department of Microelectronics,
Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Information Technology of
the Slovak Technical University in Bratislava during 1990s. This
work was supported over 6 years by US AID grant in the middle
of 1990s and continues until present in a number of joint publications,
many international conferences' contributions, exchange of scientific
expertise and common lectures in the interdisciplinary field between
molecular biology and microelectronics.
Dr. A. Leitmannova Liu is author of 3 major book publications
in biophysics, the first one with the Editorial office Alfa in
the former Czechoslovakia in 1993 and 2 Elsevier book publications
together with late Prof. Dr. H. Ti Tien in January 2000 and in
February 2003. The URL of the latest book publication (February
2003) is:
http://www.elsevier.com/inca/publications/store/6/7/2/6/8/6/index.htt
For more details, visit the following URL:
http://www.msu.edu/user/ottova/planar_lipid_bilayers.html
She is also the editor of a book series with Elsevier, Amsterdam
under the title: “Advances on Planar Lipid Bilayers and Liposomes”.
Since the year 2005 already 5 volumes with a broad international
participation were published under this title and much more are
in the process of final preparation. The relevant URLs of this
book series are:
http://www.elsevier.com/wps/find/bookdescription.cws_home/710269/description#description
http://www.elsevier.com/wps/find/bookseriesdescription.cws_home/BS_0336/description
