Metal organic frameworks (MOFs) are extended structures composed of a network of organic ligands and metal ions or clusters connected to each other via coordination bonds. The numerous choices of organic ligands and metal coordination geometries have led to the construction of porous MOFs with various compositions, network topologies, pore sizes and shapes and they possess high surface areas and low densities. The structures of MOFs can be tailor-tuned in such a way that any desired ligand or/and metal ion can be incorporated; this has given to researchers the advantage of designing MOFs for a targeted application. Within this review, we overview recent examples of a sub-class of MOFs namely biologically derived MOFs (bio-MOFs), made of multifunctional and commercially available biologically derived ligands (bio-ligands) such as: amino acids, peptides, nucleobases and saccharides and focus on their coordination chemistry with a variety of metals. Central to this review are four tables detailing the coordination modes of bio-ligands to metals, along with a visual representation of the bio-MOF that is subsequently formed. Through the detailed analysis of these structures, we highlight the structural impact of these ligands on the structure, and their contribution to the MOF properties and applications. Finally, we showcase the potential of bio-MOFs in several research areas such as CO2 capture, separation, catalysis, drug delivery and sensing. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.