Molecularly imprinted monodisperse microspheres for competitive radioassay

In the present study, molecularly imprinted affinity sorbents against theophylline and 17β-estradiol are synthesised via precipitation polymerisation, a synthetic method that yields monodisperse, spherical polymer particles in the micron-scale range, quickly, cleanly and in good yield. The specific binding sites that are created during the imprinting process are analysed via radioligand binding analysis. The molecularly imprinted microspheres are highly specific and have higher load capacities compared to the ‘classical’ particles obtained by grinding the imprinted monolith. The successful imprinting against model compounds with very different hydrophobicities demonstrates the generality of the current simple approach.