Macroscopic cellular structures and functions are generally investigated using biological and biochemical approaches. But these methods are no longer adequate when one needs to penetrate deep into the small-scale structures and understand their functions. The cell is found to hold various physical structures, molecular machines, and processes that require physical and mathematical approaches to understand and indeed manipulate them. Disorders in general cellular compartments, perturbations in single molecular structures, drug distribution therein, and target specific drug-binding, etc. are mostly physical phenomena. This book will show how biophysics has revolutionized our way of addressing the science and technology of nanoscale structures of cells, and also describes the potential for manipulating the events that occur in them.

Provides a stimulating introduction to the structures and functions of ion channels of membranes of biological cells and discusses the biophysics of ion channels in condensed matter state and physiological condition Addresses natural processes and nanotechnology opportunities for their purposeful manipulation Lays the groundwork for vitally important medical advances

This textbook will provide an introduction to the fundamental and applied aspects of biophysics for advanced undergraduate and graduate students of physics, chemistry, and biology. The application of physics principles and techniques in exploring biological systems has long been a tradition in scientific research. Biological systems hold naturally inbuilt physical principles and processes which are popularly explored. Systematic discoveries have been made helping to understand the structures and functions of individual biomolecules, biomolecular systems, cells, organelles, tissues, and even the whole physiological systems of the animal and plant kingdoms. The trend in utilizing the physics-based scientific understanding of biological systems in exploring disease states and finding relevant cures through discovering drugs is considered to be at the forefront of applied scientific and socioeconomic interests. This book will cover most of the relevant breakthroughs biophysics has been making since its inception. A futuristic guideline will be provided. A lot of models based on both classical and quantum mechanical treatments of biological systems and future scientific research outlooks will be presented. Diseases related to physical alterations in biomolecular structures and organizations and concerned drug discovery strategies will be scrutinized. Nanotechnology application in manipulating nanoprocesses in biological systems will be addressed. Key Features: • Presents an accessible introduction to how physics principles and techniques can be used to understand biological and biochemical systems. • Addresses natural processes, mutations, and their purposeful manipulation. • Lays the groundwork for vitally important natural scientific, technological and medical advances. Mohammad Ashrafuzzaman, a biophysicist and condensed matter scientist, is passionate about investigating biological and biochemical processes utilizing physics principles and techniques. He is a professor of Biophysics at King Saud University’s Biochemistry Department of College of Science, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, the co-founder of MDT Canada Inc., and the founder of Child Life Development Institute, Edmonton, Canada. He authored Biophysics and Nanotechnology of Ion channels, Nanoscale Biophysics of the Cell, and Membrane Biophysics. He also published around 50 peer-reviewed articles, edited two books, and has been serving on editorial boards of Elsevier and Bentham Science journals. Dr. Ashrafuzzaman has had held research and academic ranks at Bangladesh University of Engineering & Technology, University of Neuchatel (Switzerland), Helsinki University of Technology (Finland), Weill Medical College of Cornell University (USA), and University of Alberta (Canada). Dr. Ashrafuzzaman obtained his highest academic degree, Doctor of Science (D.Sc.) in condensed matter physics from the University of Neuchatel, Switzerland in 2004.

Physics, mathematics and chemistry all play a vital role in understanding the true nature and functioning of biological membranes, key elements of living processes. Besides simple spectroscopic observations and electrical measurements of membranes we address in this book the phenomena of coexistence and independent existence of different membrane components using various theoretical approaches. This treatment will be helpful for readers who want to understand biological processes by applying both simple observations and fundamental scientific analysis. It provides a deep understanding of the causes and effects of processes inside membranes, and will thus eventually open new doors for high-level pharmaceutical approaches towards fighting membrane- and cell-related diseases.

Provides a stimulating introduction to the structures and functions of ion channels of membranes of biological cells and discusses the biophysics of ion channels in condensed matter state and physiological condition Addresses natural processes and nanotechnology opportunities for their purposeful manipulation Lays the groundwork for vitally important medical advances

Macroscopic cellular structures and functions are generally investigated using biological and biochemical approaches. But these methods are no longer adequate when one needs to penetrate deep into the small-scale structures and understand their functions. The cell is found to hold various physical structures, molecular machines, and processes that require physical and mathematical approaches to understand and indeed manipulate them. Disorders in general cellular compartments, perturbations in single molecular structures, drug distribution therein, and target specific drug-binding, etc. are mostly physical phenomena. This book will show how biophysics has revolutionized our way of addressing the science and technology of nanoscale structures of cells, and also describes the potential for manipulating the events that occur in them.

Physics, mathematics and chemistry all play a vital role in understanding the true nature and functioning of biological membranes, key elements of living processes. Besides simple spectroscopic observations and electrical measurements of membranes we address in this book the phenomena of coexistence and independent existence of different membrane components using various theoretical approaches. This treatment will be helpful for readers who want to understand biological processes by applying both simple observations and fundamental scientific analysis. It provides a deep understanding of the causes and effects of processes inside membranes, and will thus eventually open new doors for high-level pharmaceutical approaches towards fighting membrane- and cell-related diseases.

The book An Introduction to Drug Carriers provides a broad overview of drug carriers. Drug carriers play medically important roles in delivering drugs to pinpointed regions in biological systems. The cell hosts most of the disorders related to diseases. Therefore, the cell is also considered the main target region for most drugs. Some of the cellular compartments, especially cell-based membranes, which are geometrically constructed with both hydrophobic and hydrophilic layers/boundaries, often appear as barriers against vital candidate drugs' journey to the target regions. Besides, there are off-target structures that need to be avoided for drugs to get adsorbed. Otherwise, drugs may cause unbearable off-target binding originated toxicity, which would reduce the efficacy of the drugs. Appropriate choice of drug carriers may help specific drugs to get conjugated and be delivered to their optimal target structures. Biophysical and biochemical characterization of drug carriers concerning their role as vehicles to carry certain drugs may be obtained using engineering techniques. Manipulation in the cellular sites that cause disturbances in drug delivery is another biomedical option utilized to ensure smooth drug delivery. Various theoretical and experimental techniques are utilized to address all these issues related to drug carriers. The collected chapters written by experts in the field will help the subject matter be understood thoroughly.

The book provides a broad overview of an important biological system -- 'cell membrane'. The cell is the powerhouse where processes of life are controlled. Cell membranes consist of lipid bilayers that make biological boundaries. The bilayer participates in determining most of the cell-based uptakes of materials, exchanging of information between both sides and ensuring helping vital biological processes to continue. We have focused specifically on an understanding of various aspects of lipid membrane bilayers. The book is focused on a detailed description of the diverse mechanisms and phenomena associated with membranes. Lipid bilayers exist in various parts of the cell, namely, across the plasma membrane, mitochondrial membrane, and nuclear membrane. While exploring lipid bilayers we shall, therefore, need to consider structures and functions of various sections of biological cells. Besides spectroscopic observations and electrical measurements of membrane bilayers, we address here the phenomena of coexistence and independent existence of different membrane components using various theoretical and experimental methodologies popularly used in biology, physics, mathematics, chemistry, biomedical engineering, and general medical sciences. The focus has been made on explaining diverse mechanisms that play crucial roles in molecular level in the construction of lipid bilayers and maintaining the relevant biological functions. This book will be helpful for readers who want to understand biological processes by applying both simple observations and fundamental scientific analysis. It provides a deep understanding of the causes and effects of molecular processes inside lipid bilayer membranes. A group of eminent scientists from around the globe contributed chapters focusing on different aspects. Each chapter may be found to present an individual topic and elaborate on a specific problem. But the chapters altogether have covered most of the basic aspects relevant to the title of the book. The book will be a vital reference for scientific understanding of lipid bilayers.