Voltammetric analysis of osimertinib with ultrahigh sensitivity enabled by molecular imprinting technology

Abstract

This study presents the development of a molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) based voltammetric sensor for the ultra-sensitive detection of osimertinib, a third-generation epidermal growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitor. The sensor was fabricated using a unique thia-bilane (S-BIL) functional monomer, which enhances the binding affinity and selectivity towards osimertinib. The pS-BIL MIP sensor exhibited a wide linear range (0.01–1000 nM), an extremely low detection limit (0.005 nM), and excellent selectivity, demonstrating its superiority over previously reported methods. The imprinting effect was confirmed through various characterization techniques, revealing the formation of specific recognition sites and improved electron transfer properties. The sensor displayed remarkable stability, retaining 95.2 % of its initial response after 30 days, and high reproducibility relative standard deviation (RSD) = 3.2 %, n = 5). Moreover, the pS-BIL MIP sensor was successfully applied to the determination of osimertinib in spiked human serum samples, with recoveries ranging from 96.5 % to 103.2 % and RSDs below 4.5 %. These findings highlight the immense potential of the developed sensor for the sensitive and reliable monitoring of osimertinib in clinical settings.