A particularly suitable strategy to gain a better understanding of NP properties in aqueous and biological environments is to employ atomic-scale computer simulations to characterize the properties of the commonly used nanomaterials. In this spirit, not only the novelty of the topic but also the importance of revealing the details of interactions at the cellular level makes studies of monolayer-protected AuNPs interesting. Recently, a few molecular dynamics (MD) simulations have been performed for related systems: The properties of monolayer-protected AuNPs in water have been studied by 1 ns MD simulations,(29) and the interface between AuNP and polymers has been simulated in order to achieve all-atom models for AuNP–polymer nanocomposites (polymeric memory devices).(41) AuNP penetration in lipid bilayers has been simulated with coarse-grained (CG) MD by enforcing AuNP intrusion via external potentials, and considerable disruptions of cell membranes have been reported, including a large hole of ∼5.5 nm diameter with a positively charged AuNP.(28, 31) Furthermore, while the knowledge of the effects of AuNPs on lipid membranes is rather limited, quite a lot of potentially useful insight is available from recent MD simulations of lipid membranes interacting with carbon NPs.(42)