Bimetallic metal-organic frameworks for advanced biosensing and biomedical applications: structure-property relationships, therapeutic mechanisms, and translational challenges.

Abstract

The global rise in fungal and viral infections, considering the persistent problem of cancer, highlights the necessity for more sophisticated drug delivery methods providing improved efficacy and better safety. Conventional treatments are frequently limited by systemic toxicity, drug resistance, and poor selectivity, prompting growing interest in alternative, targeted nanomaterials. In the realm of porous crystalline coordination compounds, bimetallic metal-organic frameworks (BMOFs) have become well-known as a special class of metal-organic framework suitable for use in biomedicine because of their modifiable chemical structure, porous structure, and structural adaptability. The incorporation of two distinct metal centers enables modulation of coordination environments, surface chemistry, and electronic properties; however, improvements in biocompatibility, cytotoxicity, and functional performance must be demonstrated through matched monometallic controls and dose-dependent safety evaluation. These dual-metal coordination effects impart BMOFs with improved stability, stimuli responsiveness, and therapeutic efficiency. This comprehensive review critically examines recent advances in BMOF synthesis strategies, structure-property relationships, and coordination-driven design principles. Special emphasis is placed on their emerging applications in biosensing and biomedical therapy, including antibacterial, antifungal, anticancer, and piezo dynamic strategies, while critically examining the mechanisms underlying their multifunctional behavior. Finally, current limitations and future directions for the clinical translation of BMOFs are discussed, positioning them as next-generation platforms in coordination-based biomedical nanotechnology.

Abstract as supplied by the indexing source. © the authors / publisher.