Drug delivery luminary Nicholas Peppas has won the Kabiller Prize in Nanoscience and Nanomedicine from Northwestern University’s International Institute for Nanotechnology (IIN).
The $250,000 Kabiller Prize is the largest monetary award in the field and part of the 2025 international Kabiller awards. The biennial awards recognize three top scholars—one pioneer and two rising stars—at the cross-section of nanoscience, technology, biology and medicine.
“I am honored to receive the 2025 Kabiller Award for our work in medical nanotechnology,” Peppas said. “This award recognizes all the great fundamental and translational research conducted with my postdocs and graduate and undergraduate students. I thank them all for their innovative and imaginative research. This is my 50th year of independent research, and I am glad we have succeeded to contribute to the betterment of the quality of life of our patients.”
Peppas is the Cockrell Family Regents Chair in Engineering and a professor in the McKetta Department of Chemical Engineering and the Department of Biomedical Engineering. Widely recognized as a leader in modern drug delivery, Peppas is a pioneering figure in molecular structures, biomaterials and diffusion phenomena. Among his accomplishments, he developed nanoscale, imprinted polymer delivery systems and foundational theoretical models, which have enabled major therapeutic discoveries, particularly in delivering complex and fragile biologics.
In a landmark achievement, Peppas created a nanotechnology-based oral drug carrier that makes it possible to deliver protein-based therapeutics–such as insulin for diabetes, calcitonin for osteoporosis and interferon-alpha for cancer–safely through the gastrointestinal tract.
His work on biomolecularly responsive materials, including devices for glucose monitoring and fever-triggered drug release, has further expanded the possibilities for targeted treatments. Peppas also has championed interdisciplinary collaboration, translating research into effective medical solutions, and advanced education in biomedical nanotechnology, cementing his global influence on science and medicine.
“Nicholas Peppas has helped shape the very foundations of modern drug delivery, fundamentally changing how we deliver life-saving treatments,” said David Kabiller, an alumnus and trustee of Northwestern who established the awards in 2015. “His career is a masterclass in how deep scientific insight, creativity, scientific mentoring and perseverance can translate into breakthroughs that impact an entire field. Professor Peppas exemplifies the spirit of the prize—bold science that has the potential to transform human health on a global scale.”
Adapted from original article in Northwestern Now.
This year marks the 10th anniversary of the Kabiller Prize and the Kabiller Young Investigator Award — both were established in 2015, through the generosity of Northwestern trustee and alumnus David Kabiller’85, ’87 MBA, to honor extraordinary achievements in nanotechnology applied to medicine and biology.
