Reproducibility in research into metal-organic frameworks in nanomedicine

Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are currently widely investigated for a number of potential biomedicinal applications, with particular focus on nanoscale drug delivery. Nanomedicine in general comes with specific challenges to ensure reproducibility of results, including batch-to-batch variations in ostensibly the same nanomaterial, differences in synthetic and analytical practices, intrinsic issues with in vitro culturing and assaying, and a lack of availability of raw data for comparative analysis. This perspective provides an overview of reproducibility issues in the context of MOFs in nanomedicine, covering their preparation and in vitro analysis. The commonly studied UiO-66 is used as an exemplar to highlight variability in synthetic and characterisation practices, as well as in the publication and availability of data. Some common roadblocks to reproducibility are highlighted, alongside suggestions and resources for best practice.