CRISPR-integrated metal-organic frameworks for biosensing applications: Recent advances and future perspective

Abstract

Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are porous substances characterized by elevated surface areas and adjustable pore dimensions used in diverse applications, including gas storage, catalysis, drug delivery, and sensing. Biosensing is a promising field that aims to identify and quantify biomolecules such as DNA, RNA, and proteins with high sensitivity and specificity. Biosensors use a transducer and a biological recognition element to make an output correlated with the level of the target analyte. They have advantages over conventional methods, such as simplicity, rapidity, portability, and low cost. Recently, a new type of biosensor has emerged that integrates MOFs with CRISPR, a powerful gene editing tool. Biosensing can utilize CRISPR-Cas systems, as the cleavage of target DNA or RNA by Cas proteins generates detectable signals. MOFs can be used to hold, protect, and release CRISPR-Cas parts; improve signal transduction and amplification; and provide a wide range of functions and tunability for CRISPR-based biosensors by incorporating various metal nodes, organic linkers, pore sizes, and surface modifications. This review discusses recent advancements and challenges in MOF-CRISPR biosensor development, focusing on design principles, sensing mechanisms, and performance. It explores potential applications in biomedical and environmental fields like disease diagnosis, gene therapy, and pollutant monitoring and offers future directions for improvement.