A team of researchers led by Prof. WANG Junfeng from the Hefei Institutes of Physical Science of the Chinese Academy of Sciences has unveiled an innovative drug delivery system that could enhance the effectiveness of cancer treatment while minimizing side effects.

Their findings were recently published in Nano Letters.

The newly developed material aims to improve the delivery of drugs to tumor cells while reducing the adverse effects typically associated with chemotherapy. By employing a bio-inspired approach, the researchers created a novel type of nano-metal-organic framework (MOF) material.

MOFs are knowned for their high drug-carrying capacity and customizable structures. However, traditional MOFs have faced challenges in biomedical applications, including rapid degradation, premature drug leakage before reaching tumors, and compatibility issues with biological systems.

To address these challenges, the research team utilized bovine serum albumin (BSA), a protein commonly found in cow's blood, to create a new composite material called BSA@ZIF-8. This innovative design improves the stability of the MOF and reduces its size, making it both more effective and safer for in vivo use. The protein shell around the MOF also helps it stay stable in the bloodstream and facilitate drug release specifically in the acidic environment of tumor cells, thereby preventing unwanted leakage.

In tests with the chemotherapy drug Doxorubicin, BSA@ZIF-8 demonstrated superior drug delivery performance compared to conventional MOFs. It was able to release the drug directly at the tumor site while remaining stable in healthy cells. This targeted delivery approach holds the potential for more effective cancer treatments with fewer side effects for patients.

This breakthrough provides new insights into the design of materials for targeted cancer therapies and paves the way for developing safer, more efficient drug delivery systems in the future.

Structural properties of (A-F) ZIF-8 and (G-M) BSA@ZIF-8. (Image by Sajid)