Ayooshi Mitra, Amity University Kolkata
Molecularly imprinted polymers, also known as MIPs, were first developed about half a century ago. It uses the technique of molecular imprinting that leaves cavities with an affinity for a selected “template” molecule within the polymer matrix. In the presence of a template molecule that is extracted afterwards, the process usually involves initiating the polymerization of monomers, leaving behind complementary cavities.
Recently, this has attracted attention as artificial receptors or plastic antibodies. Even though the MIP targeting molecules, peptides, or even protein preparation is simple and well-developed, it is still a big challenge to carry out the molecular imprinting of microorganisms. A study was conducted by some researchers in Beijing to prepare MIPs and find biomimetic specificity and selectivity towards microorganisms by producing definite cell recognition sites. Advanced strategies for the speedy synthesis of MIPs targeting microorganisms were presented, which included surface components imprinting, cell-mediated lithography, and microbial stamping.
Molecular imprinting, enlightened by molecular recognition in nature, is regarded as a prominent strategy for creating receptor-like synthetic materials (i.e. MIPs). MIPs have inherent qualities of low cost, and high stability and versatility compared to natural receptors. MIPs are thus widely used in a variety of areas, including separation, pre-treatment of samples, sensors, catalysis, and delivery of drugs, etc. The study additionally showed three main specialized applications of MIPs regarding microbial activation, microbial fuel cells, and detection and sensing of microorganisms.
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References:
- Dar, K. K., Shao, S., Tan, T., & Lv, Y. (2020). Molecularly imprinted polymers for the selective recognition of microorganisms. Biotechnology Advances, 107640.
Link for the article: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0734975020301427
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