Since the start of the project the teams have successfully worked on Work Package 1 that focused on the short term development and optimisation of new molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs). All three teams have actively worked on this work package with a combination of efforts of newly employed researchers as well as seconded researchers, especially from the academic teams to the industrial partner.

Target analytes were selected following the priorities indicated by the industrial team, in particular mycotoin citrinin, the steroid testosterone, tamoxifen and propranolol were chosen because of their potential industrial significance.Synthesis of the monomers and also signalling monomers has been achieved together with the preparation of binding monomers. These have been used for the synthesis of imprinted polymers using a combination of different formats, ranging from nanogels, to bulk polymers to film bead and also nanofilament layers. The polymers have been characterised and studies of the rebinding characteristics carried out. Some of the nanoparticles have shown very good activity and have been taken to the next stage of development.

The teams have also made a good start on the Work Package 2 that aims to study MIPs products and their applications. Important progress has been done on the development of an interfacing procedure for tamoxifen imprinted polymers, epsecially carried out by the QMUL researcher seconded to PI.

Although the preliminary data are very encouraging the sensitivity of the materials thus far obtained is still not high enough for the scaling up protocol. More recently a measurement protocol was designed at PI and used on the newly acquired instrument, a Jasco FP-2020 fluorimeter. The collaboration between CNRS and PI has also led to significant advanced on the interfacing and integration, targetting patterned immobilisation on a hard surface and several lithographic techniques are being tested.