Citation:
Yi Ge, Anthony P.F. Turner, Too large to fit? Recent developments in macromolecular imprinting, Trends in Biotechnology, Volume 26, Issue 4, April 2008, Pages 218-224.
Abstract:
Molecular imprinting involves the synthesis of polymers in the presence of a
template to produce complementary binding sites with specific recognition
ability. The technique has been successfully applied as a measurement and
separation technology, producing a uniquely robust and antibody-like polymeric
material. Low molecular weight molecules have been extensively exploited as
imprint templates, leading to significant achievements in solid-phase
extraction, sensing and enzyme-like catalysis. By contrast, macromolecular
imprinting remains underdeveloped, principally because of the lack of binding
site accessibility. In this review, we focus on the most recent developments in
this area, not only covering the widespread use of biological macro-templates
but also highlighting the emerging use of synthetic macro-templates, such as
dendrimers and hyperbranched polymers.