Biomembranes are not only principal constituents of the cell but also a major site of biological activity. Studies on biomembranes are therefore, crucial for furthering our understanding of life processes. A special research project on biomembranes involving more than 100 in- vestigators was conducted under a grant from the Ministry of Education, Science and Culture of Japan between 1978 and 1981. This has resulted in marked progress on basic biomedical...