1.D.161. The Metal-Organic Framework Exoskeleton (MOF-E) Family
Mammalian cells are promising agents for cell therapy, diagnostics, and drug delivery. For full utilization of the cells, development of an exoskeleton may be beneficial to protecting the cells against the environmental stresses and cytotoxins to which they are susceptible. Ha et al. 2021 reported a rapid single-step method for growing metal-organic framework (MOF) exoskeletons on a mammalian cell surface under cytocompatible conditions. The MOF exoskeleton coating on the mammalian cells was developed via a one-pot biomimetic mineralization process. With the exoskeleton on, the cells were successfully protected against a cell protease (i.e., Proteinase K), whereas smaller-sized nutrient transport across the exoskeleton was maintained. Vital cellular activities mediated by transmembrane GLUT transporter proteins were unaffected by MOF exoskeleton formation on the cell surfaces. This ability to control the access of specific molecules to a single cell through the porous exoskeleton, along with the cytoprotection provided, should be valuable for biomedical applications of mammalian cells (Ha et al. 2021).