In the areas such as biotechnologies and life science

separation

analysis and detection of a target protein is achieved commonly relying on antibody-based specific interactions. Molecularly imprinted polymers against proteins are regarded as the most potential substitutes for the costly antibodies. However

successful imprinting of a protein is faced with some problems

one of which is the limited macromolecule diffusion throughout the cross-linked protein-imprinted polymer networks. Nanostructured protein-imprinted polymers can overcome this problem to a great extent

with relatively high ratio of surface area to volume and easily accessed imprinting sites. Herein

we review various approaches reported previously for constructing the nanosized protein-imprinted materials

particularly addressing the advantages and shortcomings associated with each method. The potential applications of these protein-imprinted materials are also described.