Advances in phenylboronic acid and phenylboronic ester-based responsive systems for precision medicine

Review article, 2025

Phenylboronic acid (PBA) and its ester derivates (PBE) are considered adaptable building blocks for smart biomaterials, enabling precision in therapeutic and diagnostic applications. Their reversible covalent interactions with cis-diols allow selective recognition of clinically relevant biomarkers including glucose, reactive oxygen species (ROS), and sialic acid (Sia). These properties have been exploited to engineer responsive systems for glucose-triggered insulin and glucagon delivery, ROS-mediated drug release in oxidative microenvironments, and Sia-targeted cancer therapies. Recent advances integrate PBA/PBE chemistries into multi-responsive platforms, closed-loop devices, and biosensors for real-time monitoring, making these materials key enablers of personalized treatment strategies. Here, we review design principles that govern binding specificity, summarize applications across a wide range of therapies, and discuss key challenges such as off-target interactions and physiological stability. Finally, we outline opportunities for clinical translation, positioning PBA/PBE-based materials as promising candidates for next generation precision medicines.