Biophysical Society Bulletin | April 2019

Publications

Know the Editor Tommy Nylander Lund Univeristy Editor, Membranes

What has been your biggest “aha” moment in science? There have been several of them, but one happened when we were trying to fit some neutron reflectivity on the interaction of dendrimers with supported lipid bilayers. Three of us were sitting in a hotel room in Oslo, having a couple of beers. No model seemed to work. I suddenly asked if the dendrimer could penetrate the lipid bilayer and then “lift it up” from the substrate surface. My colleagues were very skeptical, but tried the idea and it was a perfect fit. Very satisfying! Who would you like to sit next to at a dinner party? (Scientist or not) Barack Obama who for me, was an exceptional politician with genuine interest for science. A very eloquent speaker with the analytical mind of a scientist. Very rare for a politician these days! At a cocktail party of non-scientists, how would you explain what you do? I work with special fats that stick together to form very intriguing structures of key importance for life. How do you stay on top of all the latest developments in your field? I talk to people, travel and go to conferences. It’s hard to keep up with publications so personal contacts are important. Submit Your Next Paper to Biophysical Journal https:/biophysj.msubmit.net

Tommy Nylander

What are you currently working on that excites you? I am trying to understand how and why enzymes can be entrapped in the confined space of lipid liquid crystalline sponge phases. There seems to be a subtle balance between just protein entrapment and the interaction with the lipid bilayer. Not only size matters! What have you read lately that you found really interesting or stimulating? (a paper, a book, science or not science) In preparing for an undergraduate course in colloid and interface science, I read a review article from W. A. Zisman entitled “Relation of the Equilibrium Contact Angle to Liquid and Solid Constitution” from 1964. It was a very elegantly written, almost poetic, article on using simple contact angle measurements to understand a range of phenomena like adhesion and making glue work. What has been your most exciting discovery as a biophysicist? When we showed that we could use nanowires as templates to create fluid bilayers with a give curvature. Special Issue: Membrane Protein Signaling Biophysical Journal Editors: Andrew Plested and Vasanthi Jayaraman

Call for Papers

The Journal welcomes submissions that report on biophysics of membrane protein signaling, with emphasis on the structure and dynamics of channels, transporters, and receptors. Physiological signaling, model systems and sensory biology are of particular interest.

Deadline for submission: July 1, 2019

For more information, go to www.biophysj.org

April 2019

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