Molecularly Imprinted Polymers as Nucleotide Receptors

Molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) are highly cross-linked porous polymers with a predetermined selectivity for a given analyte or structurally related compounds, that make them ideal materials to be used in a wide range of areas including chemical sensing, separation, drug delivery and catalysis. The aim of this short review is to outline the molecular imprinting technology with particular reference to the development of MIPs as artificial receptors for the recognition of nucleotide bases and their derivatives. Keywords: MIPs, nucleotide bases, molecular imprinting, artificial receptors, molecular recognition, polymerization