Biohybrid Membrane Systems: Efficient Instruments to Face Modern Challenges

Biohybrid membrane systems are precise, selective, and efficient tools with high biocompatibility, biorecognition and bioconversion performance. They can implement green and intensified processes.

Biomacromolecules (such as enzymes, antibodies, etc.) heterogenized with synthetic membranes can exhibit very high functional properties, even better compared to their native form. The common observation of increased stability at the expenses of catalytic activity for immobilized enzyme is definitively not a general rule. The performance of the biomolecule-loaded membrane is affected not only by the influence of physical-chemical and morphological properties of the membrane on the biomolecule conformation, but also by the starting bulk conditions of the biomolecule. For example, concentration, charge, ionic strength play a crucial role as they influence biomolecules self-assembling properties, and therefore, their aggregation and distribution on the membrane. Furthermore, the affinity between the membrane and the reagents (or target analytes) are also important, not only for transport and fouling phenomena, but also because it may hinder the contact between the biomolecule and its target complement (i.e., the contact between enzyme and substrate, antibody and antigen, etc.).

In this lecture, in addition to basic aspects that may influence a biohybrid membrane performance, case studies on their application in bio-derived anti-inflammatory production, detection of inflammatory signalling analytes in physiological fluids, and decontamination of organophosphates will be presented. These examples well document the powerful of biohybrid membranes in natural-like pharmaceuticals, medicine (in particular, early stage diagnostic of neurodegenerative diseases) and safety. These areas will require more and more attention to improve life-quality and guarantee security.