The giant vesicle book Giant vesicles are being widely used as a model membrane system both for basic biological systems and for their promising applications in the development of smart materials in particular for drug delivery as well as use in driving new technologies for the cosmetics industry. This practical manual gives the reader a toolbox for starting work with giant vesicles including experts tips on proper preparation methods measurement and characterization methods. The contents build from a simple model to use of vesicles as advanced membrane and cell system models. It also includes fundamentals for understanding vesicle structure properties and behavior. Key Features Provides a complete summary of the field covering fundamental concepts practical methods core theory and the most promising applications. Emphasizes clarity of presentation with instructive illustrations and exemplary data. Covers different preparation methods for simple to more complex membrane models. Discusses the main techniques for characterization and measurement of membrane properties. Includes handy tables with data and structures for ready reference Preparation methods for giant unilamellar vesicles Rumiana Dimova Pasquale Stano Carlos M. Marques and Peter Walde Preparation and properties of giant plasma membrane vesicles and giant unilamellar vesicles from natural membranes Joseph H. Lorent and Ilya Levental Protein reconstitution in giant vesicles Matthias Garten Daniel Lévy and Patricia Bassereau GUVs with cytoskeleton Tobias Härtel and Petra Schwille Understanding giant vesicles : a theoretical perspective Reinhard Lipowsky Simulating membranes vesicles and cells Thorsten Auth Dmitry A. Fedosov and Gerhard Gompper Theory of vesicle dynamics in flow and electric fields Petia M. Vlahovska and Chaouqi Misbah Particle membrane interactions Jaime Agudo Canalejo Reinhard Lipowsky Theory of polymer membrane interactions Fabrice Thalmann and Carlos M. Marques Application of optical microscopy techniques on giant unilamellar vesicles Luis A. Bagatolli Mechanics assays of synthetic lipid membranes based on micropipette aspiration Elisa Parra and David Needham Atomic force microscopy of giant unilamellar vesicles Andreas Janshoff Manipulation and biophysical characterization of GUVs with an optical stretcher Gheorghe Cojoc Antoine Girot Ulysse Delabre and Jochen Guck Vesicle fluctuation analysis John Hjort Ipsen Allan Grønhøj Hansen and Tripta Bhatia Using electric fields to assess membrane material properties in GUVs Rumiana Dimova and Karin A. Riske Creating membrane nanotubes from GUVs Coline Prévost Mijo Simunovic and Patricia Bassereau Measuring GUV adhesion Kheya Sengupta and Ana Smith Phase diagrams and tie lines in GUVs Matthew C. Blosser Caitlin Cornell Scott P. Rayermann and Sarah L. Keller Vesicle dynamics in flow: an experimental approach Victor Steinberg and Michael Levan Membrane permeability measurements Begoña Ugarte Uribe Ana J. García Sáez and Mireille M.A E. Claessens Lipid and protein mobility in GUVs Begoña Ugarte Uribe Kushal Kumar Das and Ana J. García Sáez Shining light on membranes Rosangela Itri Carlos M. Marques and Mauricio S. Baptista Protein membrane interactions Eva M Schmid and Daniel A Fletcher Effects of antimicrobial peptides and detergents on GUVS Karin A. Riske Lipid polymer interactions: effect on GUVs shapes and behavior Brigitte Pépin Donat François Quemeneur and Clément Campillo Polymersomes Praful Nair David Christian and Dennis E. Discher Giant hybrid polymer lipid vesicles Thi Phuong Tuyen Dao Khalid Ferji Fabio Fernandes Manuel Prieto Sébastien Lecommandoux Emmanuel Ibarboure Olivier Sandre and Jean François Le Meins Giant unilamellar vesicles: from protocell models to the construction of minimal cells Masayuki Imai and Peter Walde Encapsulation of aqueous two phase systems and gels within giant lipid vesicles Allyson M. Marianelli and Christine D. Keating Droplet supported giant lipid vesicles as compartments for synthetic biology Johannes P. Frohnmayer Marian Weiss Lucia T. Benk Jan Willi Janiesch Barbara Haller Rafael B. Lira Rumiana Dimova Ilia Plazman and Joachim P. Spatz.