Completed research project | EU Marie Skłodowska-Curie Fellowship

Biological membranes are essential for cellular life, providing a physical and functional interface between living systems and their environment. Their molecular components, including lipids and other membrane-associated molecules, are also of considerable interest in astrobiology as potential biosignatures. Understanding their stability under radiation exposure is therefore relevant to both radiation biology and the search for life beyond Earth.

The NanoMembr project investigated radiation-induced chemical and structural changes in biological membranes and membrane-related systems. Particular attention was given to the molecular mechanisms of membrane degradation and the effects of radiation on membrane constituents under conditions relevant to planetary and space environments.

A central aspect of the project was the application of advanced nanoscale spectroscopic techniques, particularly scattering-type scanning near-field optical microscopy (s-SNOM) combined with infrared spectroscopy (nanoFTIR). These methods provide access to chemical and structural information at spatial scales beyond the diffraction limit of conventional infrared microscopy, offering new possibilities for investigating radiation-induced changes in complex biological systems.

The research established an important scientific and methodological foundation for our ongoing investigations of radiation–matter interactions, nanoscale chemical imaging and the stability of biologically relevant materials at Justus Liebig University Giessen.

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