Responsive polymer brushes: Functional platforms for membrane protein assays

There is a growing need for functionalization strategies aimed to improve performance of platforms for pharmaceutical screening. Screening assays for membrane proteins are especially of interest, as these proteins represent more than 50% of all drug targets. In order to selectively probe the functionality of membrane protein ion channels, it would be desirable to have nanoporous supports with controlled ion permeation. Stimulus responsive polymers offer the possibility of achieving rapid and reversible switching between conformations and can be induced locally, which makes them ideal candidates for miniaturized devices with fast response times.