Molecularly Imprinted Polymers for Biomolecule Extraction
During the third year of my integrated MSc program at the Institute of Bioinformatics and Biotechnology (IBB), Savitribai Phule Pune University, I undertook a project titled “Synthesis and Characterization of Molecularly Imprinted Polymers for Solid Phase Extraction of Biomolecules from Fermentation Broth” under the guidance of Prof. Smita Zinjarde.
The research aimed to design cost-effective and efficient molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) for the selective extraction of biomolecules such as ectoine and streptomycin. These molecules were used as templates for polymer synthesis, leveraging methacrylic acid (MAA) as the monomer and ethylene glycol dimethacrylate (EGDMA) as the cross-linker. The project included:
- Synthesizing MIPs and magnetic nanoparticles to improve extraction efficiency.
- Standardizing and optimizing parameters for the synthesis and elution of biomolecules.
- Employing characterization techniques such as TLC, TGA, and TEM to validate polymer formation and cavity structures.
Key Contributions:
- Established a methodology for selective extraction using water and 1% cyclohexanol for ectoine and streptomycin, respectively.
- Demonstrated the potential of MIPs for reducing time, cost, and energy in downstream processing.
- Highlighted limitations and proposed future improvements for fermentation broth applications.
This project expanded my expertise in nanotechnology, molecular imprinting, and analytical chemistry.