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Updated: May 16, 2026
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Microfluidic Fabrication of Core-Shell Microcapsules carrying Human Pluripotent Stem Cell Spheroids
Published on: October 13, 2021
Emerging porous materials for cell encapsulation
Francesco Carraro1, Miriam de J Velásquez-Hernández1, Anita Emmerstorfer-Augustin2
1Institute of Physical and Theoretical Chemistry, Graz University of Technology, Stremayrgasse 9, Graz, 8010, Austria. paolo.falcaro@tugaz.at.
Chemical Society Reviews
|May 14, 2026
Summary
This review explores cell composites (cell@MOF, cell@COF, cell@HOF) for synthetic biology. It covers synthesis, viability assessment, and applications like cell therapy and biocatalysis, highlighting future prospects.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Synthetic Biology
- Biotechnology
Background:
- Recent advancements in porous framework materials like metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), covalent-organic frameworks (COFs), and hydrogen-bonded organic frameworks (HOFs) have enabled novel composite designs.
- Integrating biological components (cells) with these abiotic exoskeletons offers new avenues for engineered biological systems.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the progress in cell@MOF, cell@COF, and cell@HOF composites.
- To outline synthetic strategies for porous abiotic exoskeletons and discuss cell surface chemistry.
- To examine major applications and future prospects in synthetic cell engineering.
Main Methods:
- Focus on framework-based materials synthesis.
- Discussion of cell surface chemistry and viability assessment methods.
- Review of composite preparation and characterization techniques.
Main Results:
- Key synthetic strategies for porous abiotic exoskeletons are outlined.
- Cell surface chemistry and viability assessment methods are discussed.
- Major applications including cell therapy, biocatalysis, biosensing, and CO2 mitigation are examined.
Conclusions:
- Cell@MOF, cell@COF, and cell@HOF composites represent a promising frontier in synthetic biology and materials science.
- Framework materials offer significant potential for engineering synthetic cells and enhancing cellular functions.
- Further research is needed to address challenges in composite preparation, characterization, and application development.
