Ratish R. Nair, Loise Råberg, Hanna Mårtensson, Jia Fan, Yifan Gu, Hamza Yakubu, Gizem Erensoy, Alexandra Stubelius
-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.