[{"command":"openDialog","selector":"#drupal-modal","settings":null,"data":"\u003Cdiv id=\u0022republish_modal_form\u0022\u003E\u003Cform class=\u0022modal-form-example-modal-form ecl-form\u0022 data-drupal-selector=\u0022modal-form-example-modal-form\u0022 action=\u0022\/et\/article\/modal\/6818\u0022 method=\u0022post\u0022 id=\u0022modal-form-example-modal-form\u0022 accept-charset=\u0022UTF-8\u0022\u003E\u003Cp\u003EHorizon articles can be republished for free under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) licence.\u003C\/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp\u003EYou must give appropriate credit. We ask you to do this by:\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n      1) Using the original journalist\u0027s byline\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n      2) Linking back to our original story\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n      3) Using the following text in the footer: This article was originally published in \u003Ca href=\u0027#\u0027\u003EHorizon, the EU Research and Innovation magazine\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp\u003ESee our full republication guidelines \u003Ca href=\u0027\/horizon-magazine\/republish-our-stories\u0027\u003Ehere\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp\u003EHTML for this article, including the attribution and page view counter, is below:\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\u0022js-form-item form-item js-form-type-textarea form-item-body-content js-form-item-body-content ecl-form-group ecl-form-group--text-area form-no-label ecl-u-mv-m\u0022\u003E\n        \n\u003Cdiv\u003E\n  \u003Ctextarea data-drupal-selector=\u0022edit-body-content\u0022 aria-describedby=\u0022edit-body-content--description\u0022 id=\u0022edit-body-content\u0022 name=\u0022body_content\u0022 rows=\u00225\u0022 cols=\u002260\u0022 class=\u0022form-textarea ecl-text-area\u0022\u003E\u003Ch2\u003ELarge surface area lends superpowers to ultra-porous materials\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003EMOFs are, in fact, the most porous materials known to humankind. One metal-organic framework, so-called NU-110, has such a large surface area that just one gram of it could be unfolded to cover one-and-a-half football fields.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThat huge internal surface area is a result of the atomic components \u2013\u0026nbsp;metal atoms linked together by organic molecules, forming a cage-like structure. It is by tinkering with the chemistry of these cages, and by inserting different objects inside them, that scientists are able to contemplate so many different applications.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cblockquote class=\u0022text-center text-blue font-bold text-2xl w-full lg:w-1\/2 border-2 border-blue p-12 my-8 lg:m-12 lg:-ml-16 float-left\u0022\u003E\n  \u003Cspan class=\u0022text-5xl rotate-180\u0022\u003E\u201c\u003C\/span\u003E\n  \u003Cp class=\u0022font-serif italic\u0022\u003E\u0026#039;There is a huge number of materials that can be prepared with properties designed for specific needs.\u0026#039;\u003C\/p\u003E\n  \u003Cfooter\u003E\n    \u003Ccite class=\u0022not-italic font-normal text-sm text-black\u0022\u003EDr Ross Forgan, University of Glasgow, UK\u003C\/cite\u003E\n  \u003C\/footer\u003E\n\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\n\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018By judicious choice of the metals and linker molecules, there is a huge number of materials that can be prepared with properties designed for specific needs,\u2019 said Dr Ross Forgan of the University of Glasgow in the UK, who is exploring metal-organic frameworks for cancer drug-delivery.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EActive targeting\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EMost chemotherapy drugs end up affecting healthy tissue as well as the tumour, hence the well-known side effects of nausea, kidney damage and hair loss. To try and solve this, some \u2018passively targeting\u2019 treatments are based on nanoparticles in order to capitalise on the fact that tumours are better than normal cells at retaining nanoparticles.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EDr Forgan\u2019s goal is to go one better and actively target tumours. Cancer drugs can be loaded into metal-organic frameworks, while the MOFs themselves can be designed to specifically latch on to tumours.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EActive targeting means that all the drugs end up at the door of a tumour, so generating fewer side effects. It also means doctors can apply drug treatments that are usually too powerful to consider.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018Metal-organic frameworks don\u2019t accumulate,\u2019 said Dr Forgan. \u2018Once they have delivered their cargo they will hydrolyse (break down), disassembling into their metal and linker components, which can be chosen to be wholly non-toxic.\u2019\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cfigure role=\u0022group\u0022 class=\u0022@alignleft@\u0022\u003E\n\u003Cimg alt=\u0022MOFs could improve active targeting in cancer treatment which would reduce side-effects. Image credit - Dr Ross Forgan of the University of Glasgow \u0022 height=\u0022960\u0022 src=\u0022https:\/\/horizon-magazine.eu\/research-and-innovation\/sites\/default\/files\/hm\/UiO67%20pack%20cube5.jpg\u0022 title=\u0022MOFs could improve active targeting in cancer treatment which would reduce side-effects. Image credit - Dr Ross Forgan of the University of Glasgow \u0022 width=\u0022970\u0022\u003E\n\u003Cfigcaption class=\u0022italic mb-4\u0022\u003EMOFs could improve active targeting in cancer treatment which would reduce side-effects. Image credit - Dr Ross Forgan of the University of Glasgow\u003C\/figcaption\u003E\n\u003C\/figure\u003E\n\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ECurrently, Dr Forgan and his colleagues are developing the chemistry of metal-organic frameworks, using DNA and other molecules, to make them latch on to tumours. Meanwhile, they are developing methods to make the MOFs that are fast, adjustable and repeatable \u2013 all key requirements for clinical testing.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003E100-fold boost\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThis year, they made a crucial discovery: that the cytotoxicity, or effectiveness, of cancer drugs is largely determined not by their quantity, but by the specific mechanism by which they are taken up. In fact, adjusting this mechanism with metal-organic frameworks has allowed the researchers to boost the cytotoxicity of simple anti-cancer molecules roughly 100-fold.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EMetal-organic frameworks have been touted as saviours for almost everything. Potentially, they could store hydrogen for clean-electricity generation, perform artificial photosynthesis and even detect chemical weapons.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAt the IMDEA Materials Institute in Madrid, Spain, Professor De-Yi Wang is exploring a potentially more widespread application: fire-proofing. Current fire-retardant materials are based on organic molecules containing phosphorous and, although effective, these are bad for the environment and tend to compromise the stiffness of whatever surfaces they are applied to.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EOn the other hand, a metal-organic framework can actually improve the mechanical properties of a surface. It can also contain a flame-retardant compound, but use less of it to generate the same protection.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018We can improve the flame retardancy in a more environmental-friendly way, without sacrificing the mechanical performances \u2013 or even improving them,\u2019 said Prof. Wang. When his flame-retardant metal-organic framework is exposed to fire, Prof. Wang explains, instead of burning it simply chars, protecting whatever lies beneath.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EUnstable\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ESo far, so good. But issues remain, such as the fact that metal-organic frameworks are not very stable in water \u2013 a problem if, for example, scientists want to incorporate them into water-based, fire-retardant paints. Prof. Wang thinks the answer might be to coat the metal-organic frameworks with surfactants \u2013\u0026nbsp;detergent being a common example \u2013\u0026nbsp;to help them stabilise and mix with water.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe good news is that the particular MOFs Prof. Wang and his colleagues are using can already be made quickly and in large batches, which means that a low-cost route to industrialisation looks feasible.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018Many thermal-plastic types of polyester in our daily lives could be endowed with flame retardancy and other functions, such as reinforced mechanical properties,\u2019 he said.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003EThe research in this article was funded by the EU. 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