Toward protein imprinting with polymer brushes

The authors described an original approach for a surface protein imprinting employing grafting of polymer brushes. Protein molecules were first chemically bound to an ultrathin (1-3 nm) poly(glycidyl methacrylate) reactive polymer layer and later removed by protease treatment. Residual amino acids became grafted to the surface and to a certain extent imitated the surface chemical composition and shape of the template molecule on a nanolevel. The space surrounding the adsorbed biomolecules was modified with grafted poly(ethylene glycol) layer. This led to the formation of islands of spatial nanosized pockets complementary to the protein shape. The adsorbing protein recognized the surfaces imprinted and was anchored to the substrate.