Imprinting large molecular weight compounds in polymer composites

• US 20030219828A1
• Filed: 03/04/2003
• Published: 11/27/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 08/21/2000
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Lynntech Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Lynntech Incorporated
• Inventors: Gaskin, David, Singh, Waheguru Pal, Giletto, Anthony, Fyffe, James
• Application Number:
  US10/379,386
• Publication Number:
  US 20030219828A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 435/7.1
• CPC Class Codes: C08F 20/00 Homopolymers and copolymers of compounds having one or more unsaturated aliphatic radicals, each having only one carbon-to-carbon double bond, and only one being terminated by only one carboxyl radical or a salt, anhydride, ester, amide, imide or nitrile thereof
• CPC Class Codes: C08F 8/00 Chemical modification by after-treatment graft polymers, block polymers, crosslinking with unsaturated monomers or with polymers C08F251/00 - C08F299/00; of conjugated diene rubbers C08C
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2600/00 Assays involving molecular imprinted polymers/polymers created around a molecular template

Abstract

A method for preparing a molecularly imprinted polymer including the steps of dissolving a print molecule and monomer in an aqueous solution and dissolving a host polymer in an organic phase, preparing an emulsion of the aqueous and the organic phases, polymerizing the monomer to form a polymer composite with the host polymer along an interface between the organic phase and the aqueous phase, separating the polymer composite from the emulsion, and removing the print molecule from the composite, wherein the print molecule is a protein selected from trypsinogen, peroxidase, alkaline phosphatase, and glucose oxidase. A preferred host polymer is polymethylmethacrylate and a preferred host monomer is pyrrole.

Further is a method of using the novel polymer composite including the steps of packing the polymer composite into a column to form an affinity chromatography column.

Claims

1. A method of preparing a molecularly imprinted polymer, the method comprising:

(a) dissolving a print molecule and monomer in an aqueous solution and dissolving a host polymer in an organic phase;

(b) preparing an emulsion of the aqueous and the organic phases;

(c) polymerizing the monomer to form a polymer composite with the host polymer along an interface between the organic phase and the aqueous phase;

(d) separating the polymer composite from the emulsion; and

(e) removing the print molecule from the composite, wherein the print molecule is a protein selected from trypsinogen, peroxidase, alkaline phosphatase, and glucose oxidase.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the host polymer is polymethylmethacrylate.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the monomer is pyrrole.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the polymer composite comprises the host polymer and the polymerized monomer.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the host polymer comprises between about 50% and about 60% of the polymer composite.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the host polymer comprises between 60% and 80% of the polymer composite.

7. The method of claim 4, wherein the host polymer comprises more than 80% of the polymer composite.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the host polymer provides structural support to the polymer composite.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the host polymer provides a source of functional groups to contribute to print molecule recognition.

10. The polymer composite produced by the method of claim 1.

11. A method of using the polymer composite of claim 10, comprising:

packing the polymer composite into a column, wherein an affinity chromatography column is formed; and

contacting the polymer composite with a mixture of proteins containing the print molecule.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

eluting the target proteins from the polymer composite.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the mixture is a bodily fluid.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the mixture is selected from blood and urine.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein the step of eluting target proteins from the polymer composite further comprises:

washing the column with a first buffer solution to remove residual mixture contained within the column; and

washing the column with a second solution to elute the target proteins.

16. A method of making an analytical device, comprising:

(a) dissolving a print molecule and a monomer in a first phase and dissolving a host polymer in a second phase, wherein the first and second phases are different phases and selected from an aqueous phase and an organic phase;

(b) preparing an emulsion of the aqueous phase and the organic phase;

(c) polymerizing the monomer to form a polymer composite with the host polymer along an interface between the first and second phases;

(d) separating the polymer composite from the emulsion; and

removing the print molecule from the composite.

(e) forming the polymer composite on a substrate.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the substrate is selected from silica particles, polystyrene particles, other chromatographic material, and combinations thereof.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the substrate is selected from glass, fiberglass, polymeric surfaces, natural surfaces, metal surfaces, electrodes, and plastics.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein the substrate is magnetic.