On July 8, the National Science and Technology Awards Conference was held in Beijing, where SCUT won a National Science and Technology Award as the primary completing institution. Specifically, the research team led by Professor Wang Jun from the School of Biomedical Sciences and Engineering and the National Engineering Research Center for Tissue Restoration and Reconstruction was awarded the Second Prize of the 2025 National Natural Science Award for its project entitled “Fundamental Research on Tumor Microenvironment-Responsive Polymer Design and Drug Delivery”. The award also marks the first National Science and Technology Award received by a school at SCUT’s Guangzhou International Campus.

Malignant tumor treatment remains a formidable public health challenge. Conventional targeted drug delivery relies heavily on tumor biomarkers, yet it is constrained by substantial interpatient variability in biomarker expression and low in vivo drug delivery efficiency. Focusing on the metabolic characteristics of tumors, the research team conducted studies on the design of functional polymers and  drug delivery systems. They pioneered a biomarker-independent TACMA chemistry catalyzed by the mildly acidic tumor microenvironment, establishing a novel design concept for polymers activated by this microenvironment. By constructing matching polymeric delivery vectors and developing pH-ultrasensitive oncolytic polymers, the team ultimately achieved precise and highly efficient tumor elimination.

This pioneering theoretical framework and material system have been cited and validated by hundreds of laboratories worldwide, significantly advancing the translational studies of small-molecule and biomacromolecule anticancer drugs, thereby providing a novel foundational strategy for precision drug delivery in cancer treatment.