Plastic Antibodies - Designing Receptors for the Next Generation of Biosensors - page 103

Plastic Antibodies
Alessandro Poma, Michael Whitcombe, and Sergey Piletsky
Abstract Molecular recognition plays an important role in diagnostics, catalysis,
separation, and drug development. For years these tasks have been entrusted to
antibodies, but recently some viable alternatives are starting to emerge. This review
provides a brief overview of natural and synthetic recognition systems, highlighting
their advantages and drawbacks. Examples of synthetic receptors include aptamers,
engineered proteins, and molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs). The focus of the
present work is on the development and application of a novel class of synthetic
receptors—MIP nanoparticles (“plastic antibodies”).
Keywords Enzyme mimics, Molecularly imprinted polymer, Nanoparticles,
Sensing, Separation
Contents
1 Introduction: Antibodies—All That Glisters Is Not Gold . ................................ 106
1.1 Engineered Binding Proteins . ........................................................ 107
1.2 Aptamers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108
1.3 Molecularly Imprinted Polymers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108
2 MIP Nanoparticles: True “Plastic Antibodies”? ........................................... 110
3 Applications of MIP Nanoparticles ......................................................... 111
3.1 Drug Delivery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111
3.2 Capillary Electrochromatography . . . ................................................. 113
3.3 Enzyme Mimics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115
3.4 Sensing Applications .................................................................. 116
A. Poma, M. Whitcombe, and S. Piletsky ( * )
Cranfield Health, Cranfield University, Bedfordshire MK43 0AL, UK
e-mail: [e-mail]