Name and Surname of the Supervisor: Tomas Sabirovas
Institution (Company), Department: VU GMC BChI Bioelektrochemijos ir biospektroskopijos skyrius
Preliminary Topic: Interaction of antimicrobial compounds with quinone containing lipid membranes
Short Description of the Internship Work: How do antimicrobial compounds affect bacterial membranes and the electron transport processes that occur within them? Studying these interactions may help clarify the mechanism of action of specific antimicrobial compounds and their effects on bacterial respiration.
Quinones within the membrane play an important role in the respiratory chain, acting as mobile electron carriers. This internship aims to investigate how selected antimicrobial compounds affect lipid membrane properties and the oxidation and reduction of quinones within the membrane matrix. These interactions will be studied using artificial lipid membranes whose lipid composition can be systematically controlled.
During the internship, the student will prepare quinone-containing tethered bilayer lipid membranes on a gold surface, designed to mimic the lipid composition of bacterial membranes. The student will investigate how selected antimicrobial compounds affect the electrical properties of tethered bilayers and the electrochemical response of quinones.
Qualification Requirements (Degree): BSc, MSc
Application Deadline: 2026-11-30