A Nature‐Inspired Metal–Organic Framework Discriminator for Differential Diagnosis of Cancer Cell Subtypes.

Metabolic glycan labeling (MGL) followed by bioorthogonal chemistry provides a powerful tool for tumor imaging and therapy. However, selectively metabolic labeling of cells or tissues of interest remains a challenge. Particularly, owing to tumor heterogeneity including tumor subtypes and interpatient heterogeneity, it is far more difficult to realize tumor‐cell‐selective metabolic labeling for precise diagnosis. Inspired by nature, we designed azidosugar‐functionalized metal–organic frameworks camouflaged with cancer cell membranes to accomplish cancer‐cell‐selective MGL in vivo. With abundant receptors, this biomimetic platform not only selectively targets homotypic cells but also realizes different breast cancer subtype‐selective MGL. Moreover, the endo/lysosomal‐escaped ZIF‐8 can make azidosugar escape from lysosomes and accelerate its metabolic incorporation. This strategy also takes advantage of cancer‐tissue‐derived cell membranes, which may have huge potential for personalized diagnosis and therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]