Drug delivery with MOFs
Metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) offer unmatched versatility as drug carriers: their internal surface area (up to 7 000 m²/g), tunable pore geometry, and surface chemistry allow precise control over drug loading and release kinetics.
Key challenges we address
- Tumour-targeted release: stimuli-responsive linkers that open under acidic pH or reactive oxygen species found in tumour microenvironments
- High loading efficiency: post-synthetic modification to maximise encapsulation of hydrophilic and hydrophobic payloads (gemcitabine, doxorubicin, siRNA)
- Biocompatibility: Fe(III), Zr(IV), and Ti(IV)-based frameworks with low systemic toxicity
Recent highlights
The Dubois group recently demonstrated Zr-MOFs delivering gemcitabine prodrug with 4× selectivity in pancreatic tumour models (Nature Chemistry, 2026). A phase-zero trial consortium with Institut Gustave Roussy is in discussion.
Methods
Synthesis (solvothermal, microwave), drug loading (impregnation, co-synthesis), in vitro release (dialysis, HPLC), confocal fluorescence imaging, flow cytometry, xenograft models.