Molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) have now earned the reputation as “artificial receptors” or “plastic antibodies”. As the mimics of natural receptors, MIPs are reminiscent of some basic functions of natural receptors in living systems, e.g., the ability to interact with or recognize cells. The latest decade has witnessed a great advance in MIPs from simple molecular extraction to efficient cell recognition, implying that MIP-based synthetic receptors are approaching to be perfectly functioning replicates of their natural counterparts. With the most emerging development in molecular imprinting, MIP-mediated cell recognition has now shown great promise in cell biology research, theranostics and regenerative medicine. This tutorial review provides a panoramic view of current MIPs for both microorganism and mammalian cell recognition. The most representative developments of MIP-mediated cell recognition, from initial imprinting strategies to eventual bio-related applications, are highlighted.

中文翻译：

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分子印迹聚合物作为选择性细胞识别的受体模拟物

分子印迹聚合物（MIP）现在赢得了“人工受体”或“塑料抗体”的美誉。作为天然受体的模拟物，MIP使人联想到天然受体在生命系统中的一些基本功能，例如与细胞互动或识别细胞的能力。最近的十年见证了MIP从简单的分子提取到有效的细胞识别方面的巨大进步，这意味着基于MIP的合成受体正接近于完美发挥其天然对应物的功能。随着分子印迹技术的最新发展，MIP介导的细胞识别现已在细胞生物学研究，治疗学和再生医学中显示出巨大的希望。本教程概述提供了当前用于微生物和哺乳动物细胞识别的MIP的全景视图。从最初的印迹策略到最终的生物相关应用，MIP介导的细胞识别的最具代表性的发展都得到了强调。