Progress in Molecular Imprinting-From Inhibition of Enzymatic Activity to Regulation of Cellular Pathways

Molecular imprinting is a very powerful tool in life science. The research areas benefiting from a wide range of capabilities of molecularly imprinted polymeric nanoparticles (nanoMIPs) include sample preparation, extraction, sensing/detection, diagnostics, and drug delivery. Recently, a new member of this family-therapy/control of cellular reactions-has arrived. Within this newest field, so far, the design and synthesis of very selective enzymatic inhibitors/activators have been described. Since enzymes act as catalysts of biochemical reactions, nanoMIPs pose enormous potential in managing biological processes. Furthermore, in recent years, articles focused on influencing cellular pathways by either interaction with cell surface receptors or by inactivation of signal molecules have begun to appear. This strategy opens a new perspective for nanoMIPs application-as selective, inexpensive, and stable therapeutics. However, there are still a lot of questions to be answered and many issues that must be addressed before the practical implementation of nanoMIPs in the therapeutic area. Among the main challenges belong safety, biodegradability, biodistribution, and clearance of nanoMIPs from the organism as well as their reproducible large-scale production in accordance with quality control. This review aims to summarize the progress in nanoMIPs development enabling them to overcome main issues and increasing their competitiveness in the therapeutic area.