102
resonator. Analyte binding to MIP causes an accumulation of mass providing a frequency change in the QCM. Consequently, QCM has been applied for recognition
assays on imprinted polymers by studying the absorption of the template analyte vs.
analogous molecules in the MIP (Kobayashi et al. 2001). The QCM with dissipation
monitoring (QCM-D) can also provide information about the energy dissipation
produced because of the change of viscoelastic properties when the analyte is bound
(Reimhult et al. 2008).
5.5 Conclusions and Future Prospects
The evolution of smart synthetic materials that mimic the natural ligand-receptor
binding has definitely experienced a quick expansion in last years and controlled
radical polymerization (CRP) has undoubtedly contributed to this result. Although
free radical polymerization (FRP) is still the main approach for molecularly
imprinted polymer (MIP) synthesis, the intrinsic benefits of CRP make it more
attractive for imprinting. Consequently, in recent years, more and more researchers
are replacing traditional FRP by CRP techniques and it is very likely that this trend
will continue in the following years, making CRP the main polymerization approach
for imprinting.
CRP techniques have allowed a better control over the MIP architectures, obtaining more homogeneous polymer networks that present a greater homogeneity of the
binding site. The materials developed under these conditions have improved kinetics, resulting in imprinted polymers with a better overall performance in terms of
binding affinity and specificity. These potential benefits have been exploited to
develop imprinted polymers in different formats, including beads, bulk polymers,
membranes and micro/nanoparticles (NPs) which exhibit unprecedented binding
performance. Among all these, especially MIP NPs (MIN) will presumably play a
prominent role in the near future in bioanalysis. They have already been used as
antibody substitutes thanks to their high binding affinity along with their low crossreactivity, and also for in vivo applications, controlled drug delivery and diagnostics. Research on this MIN is expected to continue experiencing its particular
expansion by broadening its range of application and increasing its use. To this end,
new polymerization approaches, such as the recently emerged solid-phase imprinting approach, will presumably arise. In any case, much remains to be done with
respect to ‘plastic’ or ‘synthetic’ antibodies, particularly as regards their synthetic
strategies. Research should still be done to obtain higher MIN yields with a more
homogeneous size distribution capable of being produced on a large scale.
Acknowledgements The authors would like to acknowledge the Spanish Ministry of Science,
Innovation and Universities for the financial support provided for research in the field of imprinting technology (project CTQ2017-85686-R).
Conflicts of Interest The authors declare no conflict of interest.
A. Gómez-Caballero et al.
resonator. Analyte binding to MIP causes an accumulation of mass providing a frequency change in the QCM. Consequently, QCM has been applied for recognition
assays on imprinted polymers by studying the absorption of the template analyte vs.
analogous molecules in the MIP (Kobayashi et al. 2001). The QCM with dissipation
monitoring (QCM-D) can also provide information about the energy dissipation
produced because of the change of viscoelastic properties when the analyte is bound
(Reimhult et al. 2008).
5.5 Conclusions and Future Prospects
The evolution of smart synthetic materials that mimic the natural ligand-receptor
binding has definitely experienced a quick expansion in last years and controlled
radical polymerization (CRP) has undoubtedly contributed to this result. Although
free radical polymerization (FRP) is still the main approach for molecularly
imprinted polymer (MIP) synthesis, the intrinsic benefits of CRP make it more
attractive for imprinting. Consequently, in recent years, more and more researchers
are replacing traditional FRP by CRP techniques and it is very likely that this trend
will continue in the following years, making CRP the main polymerization approach
for imprinting.
CRP techniques have allowed a better control over the MIP architectures, obtaining more homogeneous polymer networks that present a greater homogeneity of the
binding site. The materials developed under these conditions have improved kinetics, resulting in imprinted polymers with a better overall performance in terms of
binding affinity and specificity. These potential benefits have been exploited to
develop imprinted polymers in different formats, including beads, bulk polymers,
membranes and micro/nanoparticles (NPs) which exhibit unprecedented binding
performance. Among all these, especially MIP NPs (MIN) will presumably play a
prominent role in the near future in bioanalysis. They have already been used as
antibody substitutes thanks to their high binding affinity along with their low crossreactivity, and also for in vivo applications, controlled drug delivery and diagnostics. Research on this MIN is expected to continue experiencing its particular
expansion by broadening its range of application and increasing its use. To this end,
new polymerization approaches, such as the recently emerged solid-phase imprinting approach, will presumably arise. In any case, much remains to be done with
respect to ‘plastic’ or ‘synthetic’ antibodies, particularly as regards their synthetic
strategies. Research should still be done to obtain higher MIN yields with a more
homogeneous size distribution capable of being produced on a large scale.
Acknowledgements The authors would like to acknowledge the Spanish Ministry of Science,
Innovation and Universities for the financial support provided for research in the field of imprinting technology (project CTQ2017-85686-R).
Conflicts of Interest The authors declare no conflict of interest.
A. Gómez-Caballero et al.