Antiviral molecularly imprinted polymers: Engineered precision for multifunctional therapeutic strategies

Abstract

The pressing need for innovative antiviral therapies has accelerated the exploration of molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs), which exhibit selective and specific biomimetic recognition capabilities. Although originally developed for chemical sensing and diagnostic applications, MIPs have shown considerable potential in antiviral contexts due to their structural adaptability, chemical stability, tunable physicochemical properties, and capacity for tailored target recognition that can rival natural antibodies in certain applications. This review provides a comprehensive overview of virological principles and the limitations of conventional antiviral strategies, followed by a rationale for employing MIPs in antiviral therapeutic applications. It briefly summarizes MIP fabrication methods and examines their antiviral potential across four strategic domains. These include inhibiting viral entry by recognizing intact virions or surface components, disrupting genome synthesis and replication by targeting structural and non-structural proteins as well as viral nucleic acids, enhancing immune responses by interfering with viral immune evasion and promoting immune-mediated clearance, and facilitating antiviral drug delivery through sustained-release carriers, stimuli-responsive platforms, and applications in pharmaceutical detection and purification. In addition to highlighting these applications, the review addresses critical translational challenges such as biocompatibility, off-target effects, large-scale manufacturing, and regulatory considerations, which remain key barriers to real-world deployment of antiviral MIP technologies. Future efforts should emphasize intelligent design tools, biosafety optimization, and standardization to support the safe and effective clinical translation of antiviral MIPs. Together, these insights position MIPs as a highly promising, multifunctional, and technologically adaptable platform that addresses key limitations of conventional therapies and paves the way for next-generation precision antiviral interventions.