The Cutting-Edge Progress in Covalent Organic Framework-Based Nanomedicine

Covalent organic frameworks (COFs) are a class of porous crystalline materials with exceptional properties, constructed through covalently linked organic units. COFs are extensively applied in the field of biomedicine, particularly in the context of anticancer treatments. First, this review summarizes the diverse synthetic methods of COFs, including solvothermal synthesis, microwave-assisted synthesis, room temperature synthesis, interface synthesis, ionothermal techniques, mechanical grinding, and electrochemical methods, and their impacts on the material's structure and performance. Second, COFs exhibit tremendous potential in the field of cancer therapy because of their orderly lattice structure, tunable pore sizes, high surface area, and excellent thermal and chemical stability. Therefore, the article deeply explores the applications of COFs in diverse cancer treatment modalities, encompassing early diagnostic bioimaging, drug delivery, various phototherapies, chemodynamic therapy, sonodynamic therapy, radiation therapy, and their combined therapeutic strategies. Finally, the article points out current research challenges and future directions in this field. This review summarizes the diverse synthetic methods of covalent organic frameworks (COFs), and discusses their impacts on the material's structure and performance with a highlight on how the structure and functional units decide and enable the various antitumor methods including combined therapy protocols. Also, this review gives a glimpse at the current research challenges and future directions in this field.image (c) 2024 WILEY-VCH GmbH