Abstract: Nature abounds with elegant structures and functions, often governed by equilibrium-based recognition motifs. These natural systems inspire the development of synthetic analogues with diverse functions, including applications in biomaterials and drug delivery. The nanoarchitecture of biological materials arises from precisely engineered molecular-scale interactions and active modulation of thermodynamic parameters, which shape the free energy landscape governing material formation. These principles guide the design of functional materials with precise nanoscale organization, as well as the use of stabilizing or destabilizing stimuli to achieve responsive therapeutic function on demand. In our lab, we have pursued systems that dynamically regulate associative interactions in response to biologically relevant triggers—such as glucose—enabling real-time therapeutic delivery through actively sensing material platforms. Nature similarly harnesses high-affinity non-covalent recognition to achieve remarkable function, exemplified by interactions such as biotin–avidin and antibody–antigen, which facilitate molecular recognition in complex biological environments. Host–guest supramolecular recognition provides a synthetic analogue of these affinity motifs, offering a means to tune molecular-scale interactions and, in turn, control the bulk dynamics of biomaterials. This tunability influences the release kinetics of encapsulated therapeutics, regulates cell infiltration rates, and dictates material clearance timescales in vivo. Notably, certain host–guest interactions achieve affinities sufficient for selective recognition even in complex or contaminated environments, presenting a novel non-biological strategy for drug homing and retention at target sites in the body. By leveraging synthetic non-covalent interactions, we can replicate key aspects of biological materials and systems, unlocking new opportunities for therapeutic delivery and biomaterial innovation.

Bio: Matthew Webber is the Keating-Crawford Collegiate Professor of Engineering, an Associate Professor in the Department of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering, and the Director of the Berthiaume Institute for Precision Health at the University of Notre Dame (USA). His research focuses on applying supramolecular principles—leveraging rationally designed non-covalent interactions—to advance biomaterials and drug delivery. Prof. Webber earned his B.S. in Chemical Engineering from Notre Dame and a Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering from Northwestern University. He then trained as an NIH NRSA postdoctoral fellow at MIT. His contributions to the field have been recognized with several awards, including the NSF CAREER Award (2020), the AIChE Owens Corning Award (2023), and the ASEE Curtis McGraw Research Award (2024). He was elected a Fellow of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE) in 2023 and a Senior Member of the National Academy of Inventors in 2025.