Emerging porous materials for cell encapsulation

This review summarizes recent progress in cells@MOFs, cells@COFs, and cells@HOFs composites from a synthetic biology and materials science perspective. It outlines key synthetic strategies for the synthesis of porous abiotic exoskeletons, focusing on framework-based materials. Additionally, it discusses the cell surface chemistry and current methods for assessing cell viability. Major applications, including cell therapy, biocatalysis, biosensing, and CO₂ mitigation, are examined alongside approaches for composite preparation and characterization. The review concludes with prospects and challenges for using framework materials to engineer synthetic cells and enhance cellular functions.