Biomedical applications of metal organic frameworks

Abstract

We have witnessed a rapid growth in thefield of a new nanoporous material group, metal organic frameworks(MOFs), over the past decade. MOFs possess a wide array of potential applications in chemical engineering, chemistry, andmaterials science, including gas storage, gas separation, and catalysis. One of the areas MOFs started to appear recently is biomedicalapplications. The unique physical and chemical characteristics of MOFs make them promising candidates for drug storage and drugdelivery, nitric oxide storage and delivery, imaging, and sensing. In this review, we outline the recent progress of using MOFs as apromising platform in biomedical applications due to their high drug loading capacity, biodegradability, and versatile functionality.We also demonstrate the potential of MOFs for continuous development and implementation in biomedical applications bydiscussing issues including stability, toxicology, and biocompatibility. Although significant progress has been made in utilizing MOFsfor biomedical applications, further improvements must still occur before MOFs can become viable therapeutics options