Molecularly Imprinted Polymers in Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Area: Let's Make the Point

Dear Colleagues,

Molecular imprinting represents a very interesting and powerful technology for the synthesis of polymeric matrices (molecularly imprinted polymers, MIPs) characterized by specific recognition properties for a target molecule called a template. This attractive and promising technology is based on the introduction of the template during the polymerization process and its subsequent removal after the reaction has taken place. The resulting MIP is a crosslinked three-dimensional network with relevant recognition abilities due to a chemical memory for the target molecule, which is also selectively bound in the presence of structural analogues and enantiomers. Moreover, MIPs are cost-effective and characterized by a considerable stability in different conditions, such as pH, temperature, pressure, and organic solvents. These polymeric materials can also be regenerated and reused without any loss in activity.

Currently, the potential application of MIPs as drug delivery systems (DDSs) for the controlled release of drugs— particularly those characterized by a narrow therapeutic index—is attracting significant attention due to their ability to control the release of the therapeutic agent used as template during the polymerization process. This results in a prolonged drug release and, thus, in reduced side effects and improved patient compliance. Moreover, MIPs can be modified by conjugation with specific targeting and/or imaging molecules, obtaining multimodal devices.  These polymeric materials can also find application in pharmaceutical and biomedical fields as chemo/biosensors for the detection of drugs and their metabolites, artificial receptors and antibodies, chromatographic stationary phases for separation of enantiomeric drugs and adsorbents for the extraction of biological active molecules from different kinds of matrices. However, the optimization of these polymeric materials for drug delivery, development and screening applications represents an open challenge.

Therefore, this Special Issue is devoted to MIPs application in pharmaceutical and biomedical area and the most recent innovations in this field.

Dr. Ortensia Ilaria Parisi
Guest Editor