US Patent 7939270 Delivery of molecules to a lipid bilayer

A method of delivering a molecule, such as a membrane protein, to a lipid bilayer uses a probe capable of holding the molecule on a carrier surface thereof. The molecule is deposited on the carrier surface and the probe is moved to engage the carrier surface against the lipid bilayer. The carrier surface may be the surface of a drop of hydrogel which adsorbs the molecule. The molecule may be a membrane protein which is thus inserted into the lipid bilayer. The method is fast and simple to perform thereby allowing high throughput experimentation.