Title:Molecularly Imprinted Sol-Gel Materials for Medical Applications
Volume: 15
Issue: 3
Author(s): Riccardo Concu, Mariana Ornelas and Manuel Azenha
Affiliation:
Keywords:
Biomarker, Cell, Drug, Hormone, Medical science, Molecular Imprinting, Neurotransmitter, Protein, Sol-gel.
Abstract: The present review deals with the sol-gel imprinting of both drug and non-drug templates of medical
relevance, namely neurotransmitters, biomarkers, hormones, proteins and cells. Nearly a hundred recent
works, either developmental or applied in a medical-related context, were critically analyzed. It may be concluded
that, although research is still at an early stage, the potential of these sol-gel materials was well demonstrated
in a few applications of critical interest for medicinal/biomedical science. The vast room left for expansion and
improvement envisages a continuously growing interest by researchers in the future, eventually resulting in important
medical applications able to enter the professional and consumer medical markets.
