Molecularly Imprinted Polymers as Biomimetic Test Zones in Paper-Based Nucleic Acid Assays-Comparing Vertical and Lateral Flow Formats
The development of rapid and sensitive point-of-care nucleic acid tests benefits from robust synthetic recognition elements. Here, a biotin-specific molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) was synthesized using an optimized protocol and integrated as a biomimetic test zone into two paper-based formats:...
| Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | article |
| Publication Date: | 2026 |
| Country: | España |
| Institution: | Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona |
| Repository: | Dipòsit Digital de Documents de la UAB |
| Language: | English |
| OAI Identifier: | oai:dnet:uabarcelona_::8dfa3e0f5e734a70f0101acd6699d2ac |
| Online Access: | https://ddd.uab.cat/record/327623 https://dx.doi.org/urn:doi:10.3390/bios16030175 |
| Access Level: | Open access |
| Keyword: | Biomimetics Biosensing Techniques Escherichia coli/genetics Molecular Imprinting Molecularly Imprinted Polymers/chemistry Nucleic Acids Paper Polymerase Chain Reaction Polymers/chemistry |
| Summary: | The development of rapid and sensitive point-of-care nucleic acid tests benefits from robust synthetic recognition elements. Here, a biotin-specific molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) was synthesized using an optimized protocol and integrated as a biomimetic test zone into two paper-based formats: nucleic acid vertical flow (NAVF) and nucleic acid lateral flow (NALF). Both platforms were evaluated for the detection of double-tagged PCR amplicons from Escherichia coli. NAVF enabled a 3 min visual readout with an LOD of 1.00 × 10-2 ng mL-1. NALF provided a total assay time of <15 min and achieved a visual LOD of 3.17 × 10-2 ng mL-1. Overall, the results demonstrate the versatility of biotin-MIPs as stable synthetic receptors for rapid, low-cost paper-based nucleic acid assays, with NAVF prioritizing speed and design flexibility and NALF prioritizing higher analytical sensitivity. |
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