Sergey graduated from Kyiv University, Ukraine, obtaining an MSc in chemistry in 1985 and researched on synthesis of the polymers selective for nucleic acids, for which he was awarded with a PhD in 1991. Cranfield University awarded Sergey with a DSc for his work on molecularly imprinted polymers for diagnostics applications.[1]
Sergey is a recipient of Royal Society Wolfson Research Merit Award,[1] Leverhulme Trust Fellowship, DFG Fellowship from the Institute of Analytical Chemistry, Award of President of Ukraine, and Japan Society for Promotion of Science and Technology Fellowship.[1]
Sergey's work in molecular imprinting focuses on: (i) the fundamental study of the recognition properties of molecularly imprinted polymers;[2][3] (ii) the development of sensors and assays for environmental and clinical analysis;[4] and (iii) the development of molecularly imprinted polymer nanoparticles for theranostic applications.[5]
Sergey introduced computational design into the field of molecular imprinting, by scientifically demonstrating that non-covalent interaction between the template molecule and polymer is through the technique known as 'bite and switch' wherein functional groups first non-covalently bond with the binding site, but during the rebinding step, the polymer matrix forms irreversible covalent bonds with the target molecule.[6] A number of research groups around the world follow his ideas in developing functional imprinted polymers for a variety of applications.[7][8]
Surface-grafted molecularly imprinted polymers for protein recognition, A Bossi, SA Piletsky, EV Piletska, PG Righetti, APF Turner, Analytical chemistry 73 (21), 5281-5286[9]
Electrochemical sensor for catechol and dopamine based on a catalytic molecularly imprinted polymer-conducting polymer hybrid recognition element, Dhana Lakshmi, Alessandra Bossi, Michael J Whitcombe, Iva Chianella, Steven A Fowler, Sreenath Subrahmanyam, Elena V Piletska, Sergey A Piletsky, Analytical Chemistry 81 (9), 3576-3584[10]
Poma, Alessandro; Whitcombe, Michael; Piletsky, Sergey (2012), "Plastic Antibodies", Springer Series on Chemical Sensors and Biosensors, Berlin, Heidelberg: Springer Berlin Heidelberg, pp. 105–129, doi:10.1007/5346_2012_24, ISBN978-3-642-32328-7, retrieved 2022-08-16
Rouillon, Régis; Piletsky, Sergey A.; Breton, Florent; Piletska, Elena V.; Carpentier, Robert (2006), Giardi, Maria Teresa; Piletska, Elena V. (eds.), "Photosystem II Biosensors for Heavy Metals Monitoring", Biotechnological Applications of Photosynthetic Proteins: Biochips, Biosensors and Biodevices, Biotechnology Intelligence Unit, Boston, MA: Springer US, pp. 166–174, doi:10.1007/978-0-387-36672-2_15, ISBN978-0-387-36672-2, retrieved 2022-08-17
Piletsky S.A., Turner A.P.F. (2006). New generation of chemical sensors based on molecularly imprinted polymers, in: Molecular imprinting of polymers, S. Piletsky and A.P.F. Turner (eds.), Landes Bioscience, Georgetown, TX, USA[11]
Methods and Kits for determining binding sites (2020) Publication number: 20200033356, Inventors: Sergey Piletsky, Elena Piletska, Francesco Canfarotta, Don Jones[15]
Photoreactor and Process for Preparing MIP Nanoparticles (2014) Publication number: 20140228472, Inventors: Sergey Piletsky, Olena Piletska, Antonio Guerreiro, Michael Whitcombe, Alessandro Poma[16]