# Autonomous metal-organic framework nanorobots for active mitochondria-targeted cancer therapy

## TL;DR

Researchers developed autonomous nanorobots that deliver drugs directly to mitochondria in cancer cells, improving treatment effectiveness and reducing side effects.

## Contribution

The nanorobots use a metal-organic framework to enable active, mitochondria-targeted drug delivery within tumor cells.

## Key findings

- The nanorobots induce mitochondria-mediated apoptosis and dysregulation in cancer cells.
- They show improved in vitro anticancer effects and suppression of cancer cell metastasis.
- In vivo tests confirmed their efficacy in subcutaneous and orthotopic breast tumor models.

## Abstract

Nanorobotic manipulation to access subcellular organelles remains unmet due to the challenge in achieving intracellular controlled propulsion. Intracellular organelles, such as mitochondria, are an emerging therapeutic target with selective targeting and curative efficacy. We report an autonomous nanorobot capable of active mitochondria-targeted drug delivery, prepared by facilely encapsulating mitochondriotropic doxorubicin-triphenylphosphonium (DOX-TPP) inside zeolitic imidazolate framework-67 (ZIF-67) nanoparticles. The catalytic ZIF-67 body can decompose bioavailable hydrogen peroxide overexpressed inside tumor cells to generate effective intracellular mitochondriotropic movement in the presence of TPP cation. This nanorobot-enhanced targeted drug delivery induces mitochondria-mediated apoptosis and mitochondrial dysregulation to improve the in vitro anticancer effect and suppression of cancer cell metastasis, further verified by in vivo evaluations in the subcutaneous tumor model and orthotopic breast tumor model. This nanorobot unlocks a fresh field of nanorobot operation with intracellular organelle access, thereby introducing the next generation of robotic medical devices with organelle-level resolution for precision therapy.

Autonomous MOF-based nanorobots enable active and targeted drug delivery to intracellular organelles for cancer therapy.