On May 10, 2022, at the invitation of Zhang Chunqiu, Research Fellow from the State Key Laboratory of Medicinal Chemical Biology, Lee Soo Ying, Chair Professor of School of Physical and Mathematical Sciences and School of Chemical and Biomedical Engineering of Nanyang Technological University, Singapore and Prof. Zhao Yanli, Deputy Head of the Department of Chemistry, and Chief Scientist of Institute of Materials and Engineering, Agency for Science, Technology and Research, Singapore, gave an online lecture entitled "Supramolecular Biomedicine for Cancer Imaging and Therapeutics" at the "Boling Life Science Forum". Before the presentation, Research Fellow Zhang Chunqiu introduced the research experience, research interests and research achievements of Professor Zhao Yanli.

Prof. Zhao Yanli's presentation focused on two parts. The first part was about the molecular design and assembly mechanism of supramolecular self-assembly. The second part focused on the application of self-assembled nanosystems in bioimaging and tumor therapy.

First, Prof. Zhao Yanli briefly introduced the current challenges and key scientific issues facing drug delivery systems and tumor therapy, with particular reference to controlled drug release, tissue and organ specificity, cellular-level pharmacokinetics, and drug-loaded metabolism. In his presentation, he highlighted supramolecular aggregates as a possible future breakthrough to address these issues. One of the unique advantages of supramolecular aggregates is the controllability and reversibility of the assembly process. This property can, on the one hand, enable the assembly of drugs at the nanoscale and improve the efficiency of drug internalization at the cellular level, and on the other hand, control the disintegration of nanopreparations in lesions tissues or cells and promote the degradation of carriers, thus reducing their toxicity.

Subsequently, Prof. Zhao Yanli illustrated the intramolecular and intermolecular driving forces of supramolecular aggregates and the assembly mechanisms of nanostructures with different morphologies with concrete examples, and further introduced the breakthrough research results on the successful application of multifunctional nanoaggregates for tumor-related controlled drug delivery, bioimaging and photodynamic therapy. During the online interactive session, students and teachers raised their questions, and Prof. Zhao Yanli answered them in detail.

This illuminating presentation gave the participants a deeper understanding and appreciation for the close connection between supramolecular chemistry and chemical biology, and expanded their future research ideas and technical approaches.