Dr. Tendai Gadzikwa

A decades-long goal for cancer research has been the construction of a “magic bullet” vehicle that 1) transports multiple therapies, 2) avoids clearance by the immune system, 3) actively targets cancer cells specifically, and 4) releases its cargo as a response to external stimuli. Our research aims to use nanoporous materials—metal-organic frameworks (MOFs)—as scaffolds on which to construct such multi-tasking drug delivery systems. Specifically, we are functionalizing MOFs to generate nanotherapeutics that integrate multiple cancer-fighting strategies—like combination therapy, stealth, active targeting, and stimulated response—into a single, well-defined nanocarrier.