Molecularly imprinted monodisperse microspheres for competitive radioassay

In the present study, molecularly imprinted affinity sorbents against theop hylline and 17 beta-estradiol are synthesised via precipitation polymerisat ion, a synthetic method that yields monodisperse, spherical polymer particl es in the micron-scale range, quickly, cleanly and in good yield. The speci fic binding sites that are created during the imprinting process are analys ed via radioligand binding analysis. The molecularly imprinted microspheres are highly specific and have higher load capacities compared to the 'class ical' particles obtained by grinding the imprinted monolith. The successful imprinting against model compounds with very different hydrophobicities de monstrates the generality of the current simple approach.