Cell Systems Training Lab

Membrane Lipid Commando

For the curious at heart. A pocket-sized collection of science-inspired games.
Made for a quick break, a little discovery, and one more round.

DESKTOP / TABLET / MOBILE
Your browser is your playground.

How to Play

Each of the five missions lasts up to 30 seconds. Select equipment, then click or tap the bilayer to place it. Drag placed components to reposition them as the membrane drifts.

  1. Build the Barrier: fill six gaps with heads facing outward. Use Flip lipid orientation or R to change orientation. Finish building before toxins arrive, then hold the barrier until the timer ends.
  2. Fluid but Stable: move cholesterol into glowing unstable regions and beneath incoming radicals.
  3. Identify the Invader: place glycoproteins under incoming viruses; tap viruses after detection. Block at least eight of ten.
  4. Selective Gatekeeper: place transport proteins beneath nutrients and ions; move them away from toxins. Transport eight beneficial molecules and admit at most two toxins.
  5. Combined defense: adapt to nutrient, recognition, oxidative, and mixed waves. Finish with at least 50% integrity.

Keys 1–3 select equipment, P pauses, and R flips lipids. Touch users can use the on-screen buttons. Pause and opening this popup freeze play.

The defense zones, toxin admission through generic gates, and cholesterol protection against attacks are gameplay abstractions. Channel proteins facilitate passive transport; active pumps require energy. These roles are simplified here. Molecules are enlarged for visibility.