Molecularly Imprinted Polymers for Biosensor Applications

Dear Colleagues,

Molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) promise high biorecognition capability for their target, offering an alternative to the use of biological antibodies in diagnostic tests and potential therapeutics. Over the past 20 years, the molecular imprinting of biologicals (including proteins, genetic material, and viruses) has received much attention. Due to the advantages of low cost and ease of preparation, there has been an exponential growth in the publication of research using MIPs in sensor and biosensor applications with reports of nM to pM detection limits and MIPs possessing high affinities akin to those of their biological counterparts. MIPs have been used in the early detection of pathogens, biomarkers, or toxins in clinical, environmental, and food applications. There is still the challenge of translating MIPs from the research laboratory to commercially viable products and the wholesale replacement of biological antibodies in diagnostic settings.

This Special Issue invites original articles and reviews which focus on innovative research in sensor, biosensor, and biological applications of MIPs. We particularly welcome contributions which focus on the scope and successes of MIPs but also cast a light on the current limitations that still need to be overcome.

Topics of interest include but are not limited to the following:

• Optimization of the MIP polymerization method;
• Designs of innovative MIP sensors;
• New applications of MIP sensors;
• Biocompatibility of MIPs;
• In vivo imaging and drug delivery using MIPs;
• Direct comparison of MIP and antibody-based sensors.

Prof. Subrayal M. Reddy
Prof. Dr. Karsten Haupt
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Sensors is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

• Molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs)
• New sensor substrates
• Nanoscale MIP materials
• Imprinted microgel and nanogel
• Thin sheet and thin film MIPs
• Biosensors
• Biomarkers
• Chemical sensors