Siberian Federal University

According to the report, the new forms of metal-organic frameworks can find application in biosensorics as biochips, where MOF compounds will be used as a DNA carrier for delivery and binding to another nucleic acid. Another area of application of MOFs is diagnostics based on molecular imaging in tomography: photoacoustic, magnetic resonance, and positron emission imaging. This method makes it possible to conduct research at the cellular level and monitor molecular processes in living organisms without violating their integrity.

MOFs are a class of hybrid materials consisting of organic and inorganic components with a highly porous structure resistant to aggressive environments, i.e. chemicals and high temperatures. Most often, MOF is obtained by growing from aqueous solutions (hydrothermal method) or in organic solvents (solvothermal method).

More than 20 thousand types of MOFs have been synthesized in the world. A material's properties and applications depend on the modification of this material: neutralization of toxic gases, targeted delivery of drugs to target organs, and much more. Applying the method of Raman scattering of light, the SibFU researchers, in collaboration with the Federal Research Centre (SB RAS), discovered new, previously unknown to science, states of this unique substance.

The resulting forms, as the researchers note, can be used as biochips, where MOF will be used to deliver and bind DNA to another nucleic acid. This method is used to detect and combat human viruses. In addition, MOFs biochips are suitable for detecting proteins, antigens, antibodies, enzymes, glucose and other molecules. This will allow the polymer to be used for the treatment of a wide range of diseases.

“Now the work on these compounds is a bit like a configurator: coordinating atoms are selected from the periodic table, so are their linkers, which are also a legion — as a result, we can obtain 10 to the 21st-degree variants of metal-organic structures. And this is more than types of molecules on Earth," said Evgenia Slyusareva, professor at the School of Engineering Physics and Radioelectronics, SibFU, whose words are quoted in the TASS’s news item.

The research is carried out within the framework of the M4: Material science, Mining, Metallurgy, Machinery strategic project of the Priority 2030 program.