Liquid Metal Molecular Medicine
Biomolecules are central to disease onset, diagnosis, and treatment, yet materials capable of actively interacting with biological targets remain limited. Gallium-based liquid metals and their derivative composites possess a metallic liquid core, a dynamic oxide interface, and releasable metal species, which support diverse molecular interactions and regulatory processes. However, current advances remain scattered across different biomedical applications and are often discussed mainly from a materials perspective. Here, we propose liquid metal molecular medicine (LMMM) as an interdisciplinary framework that connects liquid-metal active components and molecular mechanisms with biomedical functions. This Review outlines the mechanistic basis of LMMM and organizes current research into eight subfields: molecular diagnostics, targeted drug delivery, nucleic-acid regulation and prospects, antibiosis, immunology, enzymology, cell repair, and regenerative medicine. By interpreting these applications from the perspective of molecular interactions, LMMM complements existing application-centered reviews and highlights the distinctive role of liquid metals as active molecular interfaces. Key scientific and translational challenges are also discussed.
Authors
- Liangfei Duan (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9981-1724)
- Jing Liu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0844-5296)
- Peimeng Wu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0004-7685-6996)
Institutions
- Yunnan Normal University (CN)
- Technical Institute of Physics and Chemistry (CN)
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences (CN)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Angewandte Chemie
- Published
- 2026-09-04
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1002/ange.8312975
- Primary Topic
- Advanced Sensor and Energy Harvesting Materials
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00
Funders
- National Natural Science Foundation of China