The plasma membrane constitutes the barrier that delineates communication between cells and their environment. As a consequence, any cell-based therapy entails interaction with membrane components. In fact, half of the currently used drugs target membrane proteins, primarily receptors. The functional relevance of the membrane is also reflected by the fact that a quarter of all proteins coded by the genome are embedded in the lipid bilayer, while many others bind peripherally. The Barrera laboratory uses biophysical, biochemical, molecular biology, cell biology and computational tools to investigate the interplay between proteins and lipids in systems of biomedical relevance.
Source: https://bcmb.utk.edu/people/faculty/francisco-barrera/