Molecularly imprinted polymers, developed 50 years ago, have garnered enormous attention as receptor-like materials. Lately, molecularly imprinted polymers have been employed as a specific target tool in favor of cancer diagnosis and therapy by the selective recognition of tumor cells. Although the molecular imprinting technology has been well-innovated recently, the cell still remains the most challenging target for imprinting. In this review, we summarize the advances in the synthesis of molecularly imprinted polymers suitable for the selective recognition of tumor cells. Through a sustained effort, three strategies have been developed including peptide-imprinting, polysaccharide-imprinting, and whole-cell imprinting, which have resulted in inspiring applications in effective cancer diagnosis and therapy. The major challenges and perspectives on the further directions related to the synthesis of molecularly imprinted polymers were also outlined.

中文翻译：

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分子印迹聚合物选择性识别肿瘤细胞

50 年前开发的分子印迹聚合物作为受体样材料引起了极大的关注。最近，分子印迹聚合物已被用作特定的靶标工具，通过选择性识别肿瘤细胞有利于癌症的诊断和治疗。尽管最近分子印迹技术得到了很好的创新，但细胞仍然是最具挑战性的印迹目标。在这篇综述中，我们总结了适用于选择性识别肿瘤细胞的分子印迹聚合物的合成进展。通过持续的努力，已经开发出三种策略，包括肽印记、多糖印记和全细胞印记，在有效的癌症诊断和治疗中产生了鼓舞人心的应用。