Date of Award

2017-01-01

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy

Department

Engineering

Advisor(s)

Thomas Boland

Abstract

There is a significant demand for robust and stable receptor molecules that can mimic biological molecules, such as antibodies. Relying only on natural recognition molecules have greatly limited the uses and capabilities of many aspects of health sciences due to product expense and stability. This is especially important in medically underserved areas where the lack of resources and faulty or limited cold-chain makes antibody based diagnostics very difficult to implement.

With molecular imprinting, it is possible to recognize diseases with the added advantage of product stability, long term use, fast preparation and ease of scalability, all while being cost effective. Despite these great advantages, molecular imprinting also suffers from lower binding capacities and affinities. Most importantly, molecular imprints are limited to molecules less than 1,500 Dalton (Da).

We developed a molecular imprinting method by matching the physiological pH and by complementary matching electrostatic and hydrophobic charges in West Nile virus antibody (WNVA). Charge matching was achieved by downloading the crystallographic data of WNVA. After electrostatic and hydrophobic aminoacid ratios are determined, MIPs active monomers ratios are counter matched to the template. This method allows MIP formulations to be tailored to their required template easily.

The successful imprint of WNVA, a 150 kDa molecule, enables an emerging technology where artificial recognition molecules can complement and expand upon current applications of antibodies. Future applications of molecularly imprinted particle range from molecular biology to healthcare including disease diagnostics and passive immunization.

Language

en

Provenance

Received from ProQuest

File Size

168 pages

File Format

application/pdf

Rights Holder

Julio Rincon

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