The luminescent principle and sensing mechanism of metal-organic framework for bioanalysis and bioimaging

Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) porous material have obtained more and more attention during the past decade. Among various MOFs materials, luminescent MOFs with specific chemical characteristics and excellent optical properties have been regarded as promising candidates in the research of cancer biomarkers detection and bioimaging. Therefore, the latest advances and the principal biosensing and imaging strategies based on the luminescent MOFs were discussed in this review. The effective synthesis methods of luminescent MOFs were emphasized firstly. Subsequently, the luminescent principle of MOFs has been summarized. Furthermore, the luminescent MOF-based sensing mechanisms have been highlighted to provide insights into the design of biosensors. The designability of LMOFs was suitable for different needs of biorecognition, detection, and imaging. Typical examples of luminescent MOF in the various cancer biomarkers detection and bioimaging were emphatically introduced. Finally, the future outlooks and challenges of luminescent MOF-based biosensing systems were proposed for clinical cancer diagnosis.