Controllable surface modification of nanoparticulate drug delivery vectors is key to enhancing specific desirable properties such as colloidal stability, targeting, and stimuli-responsive cargo release. Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) have been proposed as potential delivery devices, with surface modification achieved by various bioconjugate "click" reactions, including copper-catalysed and strain-promoted azide-alkyne cycloaddition. Herein, we show that photo-induced nitrile imine-mediated tetrazole-ene cycloaddition (NITEC) can be used to surface-modify tetrazole-appended Zr MOFs with maleimides, and vice versa, with the extent of this traceless surface functionalisation controlled by the length of photoirradiation.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCodelivery of chemotherapeutics via nanomaterials has attracted much attention over the last decades due to improved drug delivery to tumor tissues, decreased systemic effects, and increased therapeutic efficacies. High porosities, large pore volumes and surface areas, and tunable structures have positioned metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) as promising drug delivery systems (DDSs). In particular, nanoscale Zr-linked MOFs such as MOF-808 offer notable advantages for biomedical applications such as high porosity, good stability, and biocompatibility.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe use of nanomaterials in biomedicine has increased over the past 10 years, with many different nanoparticle systems being utilised within the clinical setting. With limited emerging success in clinical trials, polymeric, metallic, and lipid based nanoparticles have all found a place in medicine, with these generally providing enhanced drug efficacy or therapeutic effect compared to the standard drug treatments. Although there is great anticipation surrounding the field of nanomedicine and its influence on the pharmaceutical industry, there is currently very little regulatory guidance in this area, despite repeated calls from the research community, something that is critical to provide legal certainty to manufacturers, policymakers, healthcare providers and the general public.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF