CHAPTER 14: Molecular Imprinted Polymers for Biomedical Applications

Over the last few years molecular imprinting has shown considerable potential in the crafting of chemical sensor interfaces for a large variety of analytes, particularly of clinical interest. The predetermined selectivity of molecularly imprinted polymers has made them real competitors to their natural counterparts. High sensing ability to probe in complex biological matrices, utmost stability and enhanced flexibility are attributes that have enabled their applications from large biomacromolecules to exceptionally small size viruses. In addition, they have been extensively studied for the determination of various pharmaceutical drugs and their metabolites in body fluids such as blood plasma, serum and urine. The integration of imprinted polymers with suitable miniaturized transducers can lead to establish chemical sensors for on-field measurements with adequate sensitivity and precision. Specific recognition at the molecular level and improved bio-compatibility of imprinted polymers have introduced them as strong candidates in drug delivery systems and control drug release applications. The focus of this chapter is on new trends in molecular imprinting technology and discussion of their contributions in biomedical analysis.