Toward the next generation of molecular imprinting with emphasis on the formation, by direct molding, of compounds with biological activity (biomimetics)

I would like to share with the participants the background and insights tha t made us work in what is now called molecular imprinting. In retrospect, f or us it came as an intellectual by-product from early studies on immobiliz ed/entrapped enzymes and cells and that of affinity chromatography. As for the former aspect, once it was shown that enzymes could be entrapped in a g el matrix and remain active, the idea came up of whether it would be possib le to subsequently remove the bio-catalyst, leaving a cavity (shape) behind , specific for rebinding the very same protein. As to the other aspect, tha t of bio-affinity chromatography, this gave us the insight that most biolog ical interactions such as those between inhibitor and enzyme or antigen and antibody are non-covalent by nature. This is why in our studies trying to mimic these systems, we chose print (template) molecules and polymerizable monomers that will lead to non-covalent interactions. Combining these two p rinciples (shape and functional complementarity) various specific imprints were prepared over the years, the properties of some of which (especially ' plastibodies') will be discussed. Subsequently I intend to discuss research done in our laboratory over the last number of years with the goal of synt hesizing directly on a bio-molecule such as an enzyme or cell, structures c omplementary for instance to the active site, e.g. by a polymerization proc ess; a kind of direct molding. Examples of such studies with the aim of cre ating inhibitors, agonists or artificial competing affinity ligands will be given. Studies in these directions might contribute to what could be calle d the next generation of molecular imprints. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.