Cyclic peptide (CP)-polymer nanotubes have recently gained much attention thanks to their monodisperse diameters and ease of functionalisation as compared to other nanotubular systems. In particular, conjugation of polymers to the peptide periphery, resulting in an enhance solubility of the nanotubes in aqueous solutions, make them attractive for a variety of biomedical application such as drug delivery vectors, antimicrobials and biosensors.1 Using a ‘bottom up’ approach, we developed a new class of model conjugates to help understand the dynamics of these nanotubes. These model conjugates enabled us to demonstrate that their self-assembly is highly dynamic, as well as strongly influenced by both solvent and concentration.2 Additionally, the dynamic exchange of unimeric dye conjugates between nanotubes was characterised in mammalian cells using confocal microscopy. To deepen our understanding of these supramolecular systems, current focus has turned to controlling the assembly of these structures using non-covalent hydrophobic interactions.

Controlling the dynamics of self-assembling cyclic peptide-polymer nanotubes

256th National Meeting (2018)

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