Intelligent biomaterials for drug delivery: combining molecular recognition with drug delivery

In the medical field, a need exists for self-contained implantable sensors for the rapid detection of disease and the rapid release of therapeutic agents. The expanding field of molecular imprinting (MIP) technology has an enormous potential to create intelligent, analyte-sensitive polymers that are capable of controlled drug delivery of therapeutic molecules in response to a biological event. MIP systems are receiving widespread attention as a new class of drug delivery systems (DDSs), and as diagnostic tools in molecular sensors in the treatment of disease. MIPs have a large potential for use as DDSs whether as the rate-limiting mechanism in controlled release systems, as the trigger for the release of a therapeutic compound in response to external stimuli or even as the sensing element to give feedback as part of a biological sensor. This review presents an introduction of the capabilities of MIPs in drug delivery applications, and identifies applications of available technologies. Nicole M Bergmann, E Hunter Lauten, and Nicholas A Peppas