Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42180986›Full record

ArticleAdvanced functional materials2025

Synthetic Strategy for mRNA Encapsulation and Gene Delivery with Nanoscale Metal-Organic Frameworks.

Harrison Douglas Lawson, Huy Hoang Nguyen, Keng-Jung Lee, Nattarat Wongsuwan, Ayesha Tupe, Mengrou Lu, Mariah Lynn Arral, Anne Behre, Zihan Ling, Kathryn Ann Whitehead and 3 more

Abstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Advanced functional materials, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
4citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

4 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Review
  2. Article
  3. Review
  4. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

13 authors.

Harrison Douglas LawsonBiomedical Engineering Department, Carnegie Mellon University, 5000 Forbes Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA.
Huy Hoang NguyenBiomedical Engineering Department, Carnegie Mellon University, 5000 Forbes Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA.
Keng-Jung LeeBiomedical Engineering Department, Carnegie Mellon University, 5000 Forbes Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA.
Nattarat WongsuwanBiomedical Engineering Department, Carnegie Mellon University, 5000 Forbes Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA.
Ayesha TupeBiomedical Engineering Department, Carnegie Mellon University, 5000 Forbes Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA.
Mengrou LuBiomedical Engineering Department, Carnegie Mellon University, 5000 Forbes Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA.
Mariah Lynn ArralChemical Engineering Department, Carnegie Mellon University, 5000 Forbes Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA.
Anne BehreBiomedical Engineering Department, Carnegie Mellon University, 5000 Forbes Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA.
Zihan LingBiomedical Engineering Department, Carnegie Mellon University, 5000 Forbes Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA.
Kathryn Ann WhiteheadBiomedical Engineering Department, Carnegie Mellon University, 5000 Forbes Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA.
Adam Walter FeinbergBiomedical Engineering Department, Carnegie Mellon University, 5000 Forbes Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA.
Xi RenBiomedical Engineering Department, Carnegie Mellon University, 5000 Forbes Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA.
Si-Yang ZhengBiomedical Engineering Department, Carnegie Mellon University, 5000 Forbes Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA.

Funding

Carbon nanotube integrated microdevice for next generation sequencing based virus discoveryR01AI134911 · NIAID · PENNSYLVANIA STATE UNIVERSITY, THE · PI ZHENG, SIYANG · 2018 to 2022
$2.0M
NIAID NIH HHS R01 AI134911
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) have evolved from uses in catalysis and gas storage to exciting applications in biomedicine, particularly in drug delivery. Initially, MOFs are primarily used to deliver small molecules, recent innovations have shifted focus toward more complex nucleic acids like DNA, short guide RNA (sgRNA), and short interfering RNA (siRNA). Remarkably, no studies to date have demonstrated the encapsulation and delivery of messenger RNA (mRNA) via MOFs in vitro and in vivo. This study addresses that gap by identifying synthetic conditions to encapsulate and deliver mRNA using zeolitic imidazole framework-8 (ZIF-8). Early attempts show mRNA loading in ZIF-8 but loss of mRNA in biological media. To overcome this challenge, polyethyleneimine (PEI) is incorporated into the formulation, forming a robust polymer complex core-MOF shell particle. This system stabilizes mRNA complexes and delays their release, resulting in effective protein expression in multiple cell lines and mice, performing on par with commercial lipid-based systems. Here, the first investigation into thermally stable mRNA storage using ZIF-8 demonstrates successful protein expression after three months of room-temperature storage in vitro and one month in vivo. These findings broaden the scope of MOF-based therapeutic delivery and open new avenues for long-term mRNA storage and transport.

Indexed as

drug deliveryin vivometal-organic frameworksmRNAnucleic acidstability

Identifiers

PMID42180986
PMCPMC13196661

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.