Molecularly Imprinted Polymers: Plastic Antibody Mimics for Assays and Sensors in Food Analysis

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SELECTBIO

Molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) are synthetic antibody mimics ('plastic antibodies') that specifically recognize molecular targets. They are highly cross-linked polymers that are synthesized through the polymerization of monomers bearing suitable functional groups, in the presence of the target molecule acting as a molecular template. This templating induces three-dimensional binding sites in the polymer that are complementary to the template in terms of size, shape and chemical functionality.