Design and development of metal-organic frameworks for the delivery of mRNA

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Cancer is a major health problem worldwide being the most common cause of death after cardiovascular diseases. The major goal of new anticancer therapies is to specifically kill tumour cells while leaving healthy cells unharmed. A mainchallenge to achieve this aim is the development of better therapies, including novel treatments based on the use of molecules capable of interfere the cell signalling system such as mRNAs. These macromolecules are potentially themost powerful anti-cancer drugs that exist, however, despite of the outstanding potential of these therapies, mRNAs biostability is extremely low and cannot be administered in vivo. The possibility of encapsulating mRNA for their protectionand delivery is one of the greatest challenges in nanomedicine and drug delivery. The aim of this research is to use Metal-Organic Frameworks (MOFs), a unique class of porous hybrid solid materials, as a drug delivery system for cancertherapy. MOFs combine vast structural and chemical diversity that make them extremely attractive for the encapsulation (i.e. adsorption in their internal porous surface) and release of therapeutic agents, thanks to the possibility tofunctionalize them with chemical groups, controlling the kinetic release of a therapeutic agent. The success of this project will lead to the realization of innovative MOF-based systems for cancer therapy which can then be used for in vivostudies and have a benefits on the life of numerous patients.