Matteo Gasbarri

Graphical Abstract 2D Supramolecular Nanomaterials for Virus Inhibition In article number 2408294, Rainer Haag, Francesco Stellacci, Kai Ludwig, and their research team successfully inhibits severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) with an irreversible (virucidal) mechanism with self-assembled 2D supramolecular nanomaterials, based on a dendritic polymer. The cover image illustrates a “virus like” sea mine targeting a sailing ship (human lung).

1 Introduction Developing new methods for the preparation of Two-dimmensional supramolecular polymers with controlled and uniform dimensions has been of great interest in biomedical applications, but still remains challenging.[1] This research avenue is compelling because biological properties of nanomaterials are influenced by their spatial features.[2] Supramolecular structures are particularly intriguing as they are inspired by nature.

Heparin has been known to be a broad-spectrum inhibitor of viral infection for almost 70 years, and it has been used as a medication for almost 90 years due to its anticoagulant effect. This nontoxic biocompatible polymer efficiently binds to many types of viruses and prevents their attachment to cell membranes. However, the anticoagulant properties are limiting their use as an antiviral drug.