De Novo Engineering of Metal-Organic Framework-Printed In Vitro Diagnostic Devices for Specific Capture and Release of Tumor Cells.

Herein, a paper-based in vitro diagnostic device (IVD) is developed via inkjet printing of de novo engineered, boronic acid-rich metal-organic frameworks (BMOFs). The newly developed BMOFs simultaneously possess crystalline and amorphous structure, mesopore size, large surface area, and retain a high level of boronic acid integration. After printing the BMOFs on the filter paper, the BMOF-printed paper IVD shows a rapid response time (40 min) towards cancer cell capture and its maximum cell capture capacity reaches approximately (4.5 ±1.1) ×104 cells cm-2 . Furthermore, the BMOF-printed IVD shows nine times higher capture ability of cancer cells than non-cancerous cells, suggesting its excellent selectivity. Importantly, the pH-tunable affinity of BMOF to glucose enables its dual-responsive behavior without affecting cell viability. In addition, a desired cell pattern could be achieved by directly drawing BMOFs onto a silicon substrate, highlighting its capacity as a miniaturized device for tumor cell capture and analysis. This simple and label-free nanoplatform enables new opportunities for designing MOF-based smart devices for diverse biomedical applications such as a cost-effective IVD technologies for cancer diagnosis, genotyping, and prognosis.