ABSTRACT
Molecular structures in living organisms have the ability to differentiate foreign molecules through various types of interactions, and this ability is called “molecular recognition.” There are a number of natural recognition elements, such as antibodies, enzymes, aptamers, and nucleic acids, used for the detection of target molecules in chemical and biological analyses. One of the promising approaches is the molecular imprinting technique, and the materials produced are called “molecularly imprinted polymers” (MIPs). Electrochemical sensors are devices that detect in real time signal change resulting from the interaction of analyte molecules and the recognition element immobilized on the surface of an electrochemical transducer. The mass-sensitive sensor approach is getting more and more popular because it is sensitive to mass change, which is a common property for all compounds. Application of MIPs to optical sensors requires not only high affinity and selective binding sites but also sensitive optical techniques to detect the binding event.
