The human brain comprises billions of neurons, synapses, and cell types, making it one of the universe’s most intricate and dynamic structures. However, the complexity and sensitivity of the brain can make it extremely difficult to treat brain diseases, as current treatments can harm healthy brain tissues.
Dr. Ya Wang, associate professor and holder of the Leland T. Jordan Career Development Professorship, alongside Zongsu Han, postdoctoral fellow in the J. Mike Walker ’66 Department of Mechanical Engineering, are using metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) to enable targeted drug delivery to specific cells and legion sites in the brain, potentially combating diseases like Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s disease and brain tumors. Their foundational research allows for more personalized, efficient, and less invasive treatment strategies, potentially transforming how neurological disorders are diagnosed, monitored and managed.
“This research significantly impacts industry, society and healthcare by promoting MOFs as advanced platforms for brain-targeted drug delivery,” said Han. “For society, the adoption of these technologies could lead to earlier, more precise treatments for conditions like Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, and brain tumors, improving patient outcomes and reducing healthcare costs.”
A porous polymer, MOFs are made up of metal ion clusters and organic ligands (molecules like hydrogen and carbon), which are used as links. Their porosity allows for customizability, which is ideal for drug encapsulation and controlled release.
For society, the adoption of these technologies could lead to earlier, more precise treatments for conditions like Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, and brain tumors, improving patient outcomes and reducing healthcare costs.
“Recent advances have combined MOFs with functional agents to enhance drug loading, delivery, release and monitoring,” said Wang. “Our recent work highlights the role of MOFs in brain-targeted therapies and outlines future strategies for more precise and effective treatments.”
In contrast to recent studies on MOFs for general drug delivery, Han and Wang focused explicitly on integrating MOF-based nanomedicine with functional agents and brain-targeted drugs. MOFs can be engineered to deliver drugs specifically to the brain, allowing controlled drug release through stimulus-responsive mechanisms such as temperature, light, and ions, which can be fine-tuned to suit specific therapeutic needs. The customizability of MOFs allows them to target diseased cells or lesion sites while overcoming the challenge of the blood-brain barrier and minimizing damage to healthy tissues.
In addition, MOFs can be combined with imaging agents like MRI and CT to monitor real-time drug delivery, ensuring treatment precision. Functional agents, such as targeting ligands or therapeutic molecules, can be incorporated into MOFs to enhance their effectiveness, enabling combination therapies for complex diseases. Furthermore, MOF-based drug delivery systems can be optimized for biocompatibility, minimizing toxicity and ensuring safe long-term use.
These advancements make MOFs a promising technology for personalized medicine, offering new avenues for safer, more effective treatments with precise drug targeting, controlled release and real-time monitoring.
This research was conducted in collaboration with Dr. Muzhaozi Yuan, Nguyen Nguyen, Dr. Hong Cai Zhou and Dr. James Hubbard Jr. and was made possible by the National Science Foundation’s CAREER and PECASE awards.