Molecularly imprinted polymer-based electrochemical sensors for biopolymers

Abstract

Electrochemical synthesis and signal generation dominate among the almost 1200 papers published annually on protein imprinted polymers. Such polymers can be easily prepared directly on the electrode surface and the polymer thickness can be precisely adjusted to the size of the target to enable its free exchange. In this architecture the molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) layer represents only one "separation plate", thus the selectivity does not reach the values of "bulk" measurements. The binding of target proteins can be detected straightforwardly by their modulating effect on the diffusional permeability of a redox marker through the thin MIP films. However, this generates an "overall apparent" signal which may include non-specific interactions in the polymer layer and at the electrode surface. Certain targets, such as enzymes or redox active proteins enables a more specific direct quantification of their binding to MIPs by in situ determination of the enzyme activity or direct electron transfer, respectively.

Molecularly imprinted polymers by epitope imprinting: a journey from molecular interactions to the available bioinformatics resources to scout for epitope templates

“…Diagnosis and prognosis are based on the detection and quantification of certain protein biomarkers; moreover, therapeutics are designed to intervene in protein interaction paths, involved in the onset or in the progression of a pathology. Thus, for the most part, the efforts to imprint proteins have been focusing on solving unmet analytical needs, such as addressing selected biomarkers, for which antibodies are not available or are unstable, etc., both by developing assays [13,14] and sensors [15,16]. More recently, the perspective moved to therapy.…”

Development of a portable MIP-based electrochemical sensor for detection of SARS-CoV-2 antigen

“…Combination of MIPs and electrochemical methods represents a valuable approach to the development of low cost, sensitive, fast and portable sensing systems ( Scheller et al, 2019 ). The detection principle of these sensors is mostly based on monitoring the charge transfer carried by a redox probe through a thin MIP film ( Sharma et al, 2019 ).…”

MIPs for commercial application in low-cost sensors and assays – An overview of the current status quo

“…Device sensitivity and limit of detection (LoD) is therefore situationally dependent on the technique and MIP employed. This deviation in sensing capabilities has meant not one MIP readout combination has been elected superior, with certain techniques favored in specific situations [ [60] , [61] , [62] , [63] ]. Despite the fact that all MIP-based platforms offer the advantage of low-cost, straightforward receptor synthesis and increased physical and chemical stability, commercialization seems to remain tricky.…”