DEVELOPMENT OF METAL-ORGANIC FRAMEWORKS FOR BIOMEDICINE: INVESTIGATION OF INTERACTIONS IN BIOLOGICAL ENVIRONMENTS

• Grant number: 24/09023-8
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral
• Start date: December 01, 2024
• End date: November 30, 2027
• Field of knowledge: Engineering - Materials and Metallurgical Engineering - Nonmetallic Materials
• Principal Investigator: Ana Paula Ramos
• Grantee: Leonardo Francisco Gonçalves Dias
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Filosofia, Ciências e Letras de Ribeirão Preto (FFCLRP). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Ribeirão Preto , SP, Brazil

Abstract

The demand for new materials for the treatment of diseases and diagnoses is growing, requiring more and more new materials that meet this demand and work as a multiplatform, that is, they have two or more functions. Metal organic frameworks (MOFs) are hybrid materials composed of a metallic core surrounded by an organic ligand. Widely explored in the field of gas adsorption and catalysis, these materials have recently begun to be explored in the biomedical field. Its characteristics include high porosity, which facilitates the incorporation of drugs, stability in physiological solutions, as well as anti-cancer, bactericidal and anti-inflammatory properties. Although they are being explored in the biomedical field, MOFs still have a long way to go before they are widely used. Among the challenges are limited biocompatibility, the search for new synthesis routes, as well as issues related to stability outside the homeostatic balance. There is also the formation of the protein crown when a material interacts with the biological environment. The protein corona can inhibit drug release and alter the biocompatibility of the material. Therefore, the following postdoctoral proposal aims to investigate the properties of MOFs based on titanium, zinc, copper, and strontium in different biological scenarios through a physicochemical approach. These MOFs are the most explored for different purposes such as osteogenesis, killing cancer cells and bacteria. To obtain these properties, MOFs will be synthesized and modified with different bioactive ligands, then exposed to simulated fluids and lipid membranes, and these interactions will be evaluated using different techniques. The following project will contribute to the field of biomaterials by showing the behavior of these materials in a biological environment, which can help explain mechanisms of action, in addition to helping to better plan in situ and in vivo tests. Different techniques will be applied such as atomic force microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, electron microscopy and absorption in the UV-Vis-NIR range. Additionally, this proposal will contribute to building the path towards the viability of these materials, elucidating properties such as generation of free radicals, interaction with biological media, including lipid membranes. This and other information will constitute valuable knowledge for formulating in vitro and in vivo assays, bringing MOFs closer to their full application.