Antibodies are being used in many areas of current research. In particular, antibodies are being examined for targeted drug delivery to bind specifically to a target area or molecule. Antibodies are also being used extensively for detection of chemical and biological warfare agents, and other types of chemical sensors. However, antibodies have limitations due to their often-strict requirements for temperature or pH, as well as their high cost. Therefore, I am examining a method of manufacturing artificial antibodies that are stable over a wide range of temperature and pH values. Using a method of molecular imprinting, polymers are chemically and physically molded with imprint molecules to create cavities of specific shape and chemical reactivity for a specific molecule or cell. The imprint molecules are removed, and the molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) then acts essentially as an antibody. High selectivity and reactivity can be achieved with this method for a variety of molecules. The material properties can also be controlled by proper selection of the polymers used. Molecular imprinting is relatively quick and inexpensive, and can be applied to both detection and drug delivery areas. The lab-on-a-chip platform is particularly well suited for use of MIPs, which could extend lifetime and storage options of existing models that are based on antibody-antigen reactions. Targeted drug delivery is a more difficult problem to address due to the complexities of the human body, but MIPs offer a promising future for targeting. MIPs offer great potential for both near-term commercialization and far reaching advances in many research areas.
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