Nanochannels: biological channel analogues

Abstract

The flux of ions across the biological membrane is a central activity to many cellular processes, from conduction of nerve impulse to the apoptosis. Traffic of ions or molecules across the membrane and organelles is governed by natural machines of great precision; ion channels, a special class of proteins, reside in the biological membranes. Recent studies in the field of nanoscience have concentrated on to precisely mimic the physical and chemical properties of these pores that make them increasingly attractive in this field. Synthetic nanoporous materials have a great deal of medical applications, including biosensing, biosorting, immune-isolation and drug delivery. In this review, the authors briefly describe the interesting synthetic channels that are extensively studied, and also attempt to furnish a precise overview of recent advances in this arena.