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Molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) and aptamers, as effective mimics of antibodies, can overcome only some drawbacks of antibodies. Since they have their own advantages and disadvantages, the combination of MIPs with aptamers could be an ideal solution to produce hybrid alternatives with improved properties and desirable features. Although quite a few attempts have been made in this direction, a facile and controllable approach for the preparation of aptamer–MIP hybrids still remains lacking. Herein, we present a new approach for facile and controllable preparation of aptamer–MIP hybrids for high-specificity and high-affinity recognition toward proteins. An aptamer that can bind the glycoprotein alkaline phosphatase (ALP) with relative weak affinity and specificity was used as a ligand, and controllable oriented surface imprinting was carried out with an in-water self-polymerization system of dopamine. A thin layer of polydopamine was formed to cover the template to an appropriate thickness. After removing the template from the polymer, an aptamer–MIP hybrid with apparently improved affinity and specificity toward ALP was obtained, giving cross-reactivity of 3.2–5.6% and a dissociation constant of 1.5 nM. With this aptamer–MIP hybrid, a plasmonic immunosandwich assay (PISA) was developed. Reliable detection of ALP in human serum by the PISA was demonstrated.

Although protein therapeutics is of significance in therapeutic intervention of cancers, controlled delivery of therapeutic proteins still faces substantial challenges including susceptibility to degradation and denaturation and poor membrane permeability. Herein, we report a sialic acid (SA)-imprinted biodegradable silica nanoparticles (BS-NPs)-based protein delivery strategy for targeted cancer therapy. Cytotoxic ribonuclease A (RNase A) was effectively caged in the matrix of disulfide-hybridized silica NPs (encapsulation efficiency of ∼64%), which were further functionalized with cancer targeting capability via surface imprinting with SA as imprinting template. Such nanovectors could not only maintain high stability in physiological conditions but also permit redox-triggered biodegradation for both concomitant release of the loaded therapeutic cargo and in vivo clearance. In vitro experiments confirmed that the SA-imprinted RNase A@BS-NPs could selectively target SA-overexpressed tumor cells, promote cells uptake, and subsequently be cleaved by intracellular glutathione (GSH), resulting in rapid release kinetics and enhanced cell cytotoxicity. In vivo experiments further confirmed that the SA-imprinted RNase A@BS-NPs had specific tumor-targeting ability and high therapeutic efficacy of RNase A in xenograft tumor model. Due to the specific targeting and traceless GSH-stimulated intracellular protein release, the SA-imprinted BS-NPs provided a promising platform for the delivery of biomacromolecules in cancer therapy.

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Nanoparticles have been widely used in important biomedical applications such as imaging, drug delivery, and disease therapy, in which targeting toward specific proteins is often essential. However, current targeting strategies mainly rely on surface modification with bioligands, which not only often fail to provide desired properties but also remain challenging. Here an unprecedented approach is reported, called reverse microemulsion‐confined epitope‐oriented surface imprinting and cladding (ROSIC), for facile, versatile, and controllable engineering coreless and core/shell nanoparticles with tunable monodispersed size as well as specific targeting capability toward proteins and peptides. Via engineering coreless imprinted and cladded silica nanoparticles, the effectiveness and superiority over conventional imprinting of the proposed approach are first verified. The prepared nanoparticles exhibit both high specificity and high affinity. Using quantum dots, superparamagnetic nanoparticles, silver nanoparticles, and upconverting nanoparticles as a representative set of core substrates, a variety of imprinted and cladded single‐core/shell nanoparticles are then successfully prepared. Finally, using imprinted and cladded fluorescent nanoparticles as probes, in vitro targeted imaging of triple‐negative breast cancer (TNBC) cells and in vivo targeted imaging of TNBC‐bearing mice are achieved. This approach opens a new avenue to engineering of nanoparticles for targeting specific proteins, holding great prospects in biomedical applications.

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Abnormal glycan structures are valuable biomarkers for disease states; the development of glycan-specific binders is thereby significantly important. However, the structural homology and weak immunogenicity of glycans pose major hurdles in the evolution of antibodies, while the poor availability of complex glycans also has extremely hindered the selection of anti-glycan aptamers. Herein, we present a new approach to efficiently screen aptamers toward specific glycans with a complex structure, using a glycosylated peptide as a scaffold. In this method, using peptideimprinted magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) as a versatile platform, a glycopeptide tryptically digested from a native glycoprotein was selectively entrapped for positive selection, while a nonglycosylated analogue with an identical peptide sequence was synthesized for negative selection. Alternating positive and negative selection steps were carried out to guide the directed evolution of glycanbinding aptamers. As proof of the principle, the biantennary digalactosylated disialylated N-glycan A2G2S2, against which there have been no antibodies and lectins so far, was employed as the target. With the glycoprotein transferrin as a source of target glycan, two satisfied anti-A2G2S2 aptamers were selected within seven rounds. Since A2G2S2 is upregulated in cancerous liver cells, carboxyfluorescein (FAM)-labeled aptamers were prepared as fluorescent imaging reagents, and successful differentiation of cancerous liver cells over normal liver cells was achieved, which demonstrated the application feasibility of the selected aptamers. This approach obviated a tedious glycan preparation process and allowed favorable expose of the intrinsic flexible conformation of natural glycans. Therefore, it holds great promise for developing glycan-specific aptamers for challenging applications such as cancer targeting.