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Molecular Imprinting
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Selection
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Self-Assembly
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Polymerization
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Extraction
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Molecular imprinting is a process by which functional monomers are
allowed to self-assemble around a template molecule and subsequently
crosslinked into place. Under defined conditions, the template molecule can
be removed, leaving behind a cavity complementary in shape and
functionality, which will bind molecules identical to the template. The
imprint functions like a lock that is only compatible with the correct key.
Molecular imprinting was used as early as the
1930's by MV Polyakov to selectively capture
various additives in a silica matrix. In the 1940's Linus Pauling
hypothesized that a process similar to molecular imprinting could be
responsible for the selectivity of antibodies to their respective antigens.
The theory was supported by experiments done by his graduate student, Frank
Dickey, who demonstrated imprinting and specific adsorption of several
different dyes in silica. We now know that antibodies are produced by clonal-selection, but the idea of a pliable antibody
taking shape in response to a foreign antigen was intriguing. Imprinting in
silica gained some popularity over the next 15 years, but did not really
catch on due to the instability of the silica matrix and limitations in the
diversity of compatible templates molecules. The concept of molecular
imprinting was revived in the 1970's when Günter Wulff discovered that
highly crosslinked organic polymers could also be used to make molecular
imprints with high specificity. In more recent years, imprinted polymers
have been used to capture everything from steroids to TNT. Today, Aspira's
innovative methods improve on these 70 years of research to enable the
capture of large and fragile proteins.
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