Molecularly imprinted polymer-based sensors: Design and advances in the analysis of DNA and protein

Molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) have emerged in recent years as highly promising materials for sensor design, owing to their high selectivity, stability, and reusability toward target analytes. This review specifically focuses on MIP-based sensor applications aimed at detecting critically impo...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Arzum Erdem, Huseyin Senturk, Mehmet Karakus
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2025-12-01
Series:Talanta Open
Subjects:
Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666831925001092
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1850081071266267136
author Arzum Erdem
Huseyin Senturk
Mehmet Karakus
author_facet Arzum Erdem
Huseyin Senturk
Mehmet Karakus
author_sort Arzum Erdem
collection DOAJ
description Molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) have emerged in recent years as highly promising materials for sensor design, owing to their high selectivity, stability, and reusability toward target analytes. This review specifically focuses on MIP-based sensor applications aimed at detecting critically important biomolecules such as proteins and DNA, which play essential roles especially in the biomedical field. Although antibody-based immunoassays for protein detection and PCR-based methods for DNA analysis provide high specificity and sensitivity, these conventional approaches have significant limitations, including high costs, limited stability, complex instrumentation, and the necessity of highly skilled personnel. MIPs have recently gained attention as synthetic recognition elements capable of overcoming these limitations. The rationale behind jointly addressing protein and DNA analysis lies primarily in the shared challenges presented by these biomolecules, such as molecular size, structural complexity, and specificity of binding. Furthermore, similar analytical approaches and transduction mechanisms employed in the sensor designs for these two groups allow for a more comprehensive and integrated evaluation. This review thoroughly examines MIP structures integrated into electrochemical, optical, quartz crystal microbalance (QCM), and other sensor platforms. Current limitations such as heterogeneity of binding sites and incomplete removal of template molecules are critically discussed, alongside proposed solutions like incorporation of nanomaterials, computational modeling, and novel polymerization strategies. In conclusion, this review provides an extensive evaluation of recent advances in protein and DNA detection using MIP-based sensors, clearly outlining the current state, encountered challenges, and future perspectives within the field.
format Article
id doaj-art-df18dada92f84e13966c7ea96ccecd71
institution DOAJ
issn 2666-8319
language English
publishDate 2025-12-01
publisher Elsevier
record_format Article
series Talanta Open
spelling doaj-art-df18dada92f84e13966c7ea96ccecd712025-08-20T02:44:49ZengElsevierTalanta Open2666-83192025-12-011210050710.1016/j.talo.2025.100507Molecularly imprinted polymer-based sensors: Design and advances in the analysis of DNA and proteinArzum Erdem0Huseyin Senturk1Mehmet Karakus2Corresponding author.; Analytical Chemistry Department, Faculty of Pharmacy, Ege University, Bornova 35100, Izmir, TürkiyeAnalytical Chemistry Department, Faculty of Pharmacy, Ege University, Bornova 35100, Izmir, TürkiyeAnalytical Chemistry Department, Faculty of Pharmacy, Ege University, Bornova 35100, Izmir, TürkiyeMolecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) have emerged in recent years as highly promising materials for sensor design, owing to their high selectivity, stability, and reusability toward target analytes. This review specifically focuses on MIP-based sensor applications aimed at detecting critically important biomolecules such as proteins and DNA, which play essential roles especially in the biomedical field. Although antibody-based immunoassays for protein detection and PCR-based methods for DNA analysis provide high specificity and sensitivity, these conventional approaches have significant limitations, including high costs, limited stability, complex instrumentation, and the necessity of highly skilled personnel. MIPs have recently gained attention as synthetic recognition elements capable of overcoming these limitations. The rationale behind jointly addressing protein and DNA analysis lies primarily in the shared challenges presented by these biomolecules, such as molecular size, structural complexity, and specificity of binding. Furthermore, similar analytical approaches and transduction mechanisms employed in the sensor designs for these two groups allow for a more comprehensive and integrated evaluation. This review thoroughly examines MIP structures integrated into electrochemical, optical, quartz crystal microbalance (QCM), and other sensor platforms. Current limitations such as heterogeneity of binding sites and incomplete removal of template molecules are critically discussed, alongside proposed solutions like incorporation of nanomaterials, computational modeling, and novel polymerization strategies. In conclusion, this review provides an extensive evaluation of recent advances in protein and DNA detection using MIP-based sensors, clearly outlining the current state, encountered challenges, and future perspectives within the field.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666831925001092Molecularly imprinted polymersSensorsProteinDNAElectrochemicalOptical
spellingShingle Arzum Erdem
Huseyin Senturk
Mehmet Karakus
Molecularly imprinted polymer-based sensors: Design and advances in the analysis of DNA and protein
Talanta Open
Molecularly imprinted polymers
Sensors
Protein
DNA
Electrochemical
Optical
title Molecularly imprinted polymer-based sensors: Design and advances in the analysis of DNA and protein
title_full Molecularly imprinted polymer-based sensors: Design and advances in the analysis of DNA and protein
title_fullStr Molecularly imprinted polymer-based sensors: Design and advances in the analysis of DNA and protein
title_full_unstemmed Molecularly imprinted polymer-based sensors: Design and advances in the analysis of DNA and protein
title_short Molecularly imprinted polymer-based sensors: Design and advances in the analysis of DNA and protein
title_sort molecularly imprinted polymer based sensors design and advances in the analysis of dna and protein
topic Molecularly imprinted polymers
Sensors
Protein
DNA
Electrochemical
Optical
url http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666831925001092
work_keys_str_mv AT arzumerdem molecularlyimprintedpolymerbasedsensorsdesignandadvancesintheanalysisofdnaandprotein
AT huseyinsenturk molecularlyimprintedpolymerbasedsensorsdesignandadvancesintheanalysisofdnaandprotein
AT mehmetkarakus molecularlyimprintedpolymerbasedsensorsdesignandadvancesintheanalysisofdnaandprotein