Metal/covalent-organic framework-based biosensors for nucleic acid detection

The detection of nucleic acid marker is essential for accurate and timely diagnosis and prognosis of different types of diseases. However, the sensitivity and specificity of the assay still need to be improved. Due to the highly ordered porous structure, adjustable pore size, and large specific surface area, metal/covalent-organic frameworks (MOFs/COFs) can construct multifunctional sensors, which show significant advantages of adsorption, fluorescence quenching/emission, and electrocatalysis in nucleic acid detection. This review provides an overview of the design and construction of biosensors using MOFs/COFs for nucleic acid detection. The interaction between MOFs/COFs and nucleic acids and the detection of ctDNAs, microRNAs, mRNAs, genes, and other nucleic acid molecules based on these biosensors have been comprehensively discussed. In addition, the successful cases proposed by our and other groups have been analyzed in detail. The focus is on the rational design of biosensors by taking advantage of the unique structures and optical properties of MOFs/COFs to improve the sensitivity and selectivity of nucleic acid detection. We hope that the perspectives and insights provided in this review will promote the exploration of further potential applications of MOFs and/or COFs in biomarker sensing and imaging.