We experimentally studied the adhesion dynamics of vesicles decorated with specific stickers onto bioactive surfaces. The growth laws were found to strongly depend upon the chemical preparation of the substrate and were rationalized with theoretical descriptions based on scaling law arguments. By using a micropipette-free approach, we demonstrate that two-dimensional binding rates between receptor and ligand can be lower than three dimensional on rates by orders of magnitude due to reduced accessibility of the immobilized protein.

• Received 25 November 2003

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.93.228101