the present invention relates to a method for producing man - made devices which have the properties and functions of biological membranes and membrane proteins , and to the structure of such devices . briefly , in one aspect of the invention , natural or genetically engineered proteins are incorporated into a polymeric vesicle that is conjugated to a thread to form a vesicle - thread conjugate . the engineered protein is preferably a transmembrane protein embedded in the wall of the polymeric vesicle . the vesicle - thread conjugate is then formed into a membrane or thin fabric having a wide variety of inherent functionality , including the ability to selectively transport and / or filter compounds between fluids . by selecting proteins with specific properties , membranes can be fabricated with a defined functionality including molecular scale addressability via directed electrostatic , electromagnetic , and chemical forces .