Structural Observation of the Self-Assembly Kinetics of Cyclic Peptide Nanotubes

Cyclic peptides with alternating side chain stereochemistry are capable of self-assembling into long nanotubes. The conjugation of polymers to these peptides renders the resulting nanotubes water soluble, whilst providing functionality. Self-assembled nanotubes have promising applications in drug encapsulation and delivery where controlled assembly and disassembly is required for tailoring drug release. We have synthesised a pH-responsive peptide which will assemble or disassemble triggered by a change in pH in different subcellular compartments. We propose to investigate the influence of both polymer chain length and drug conjugation on nanotube self-assembly kinetics and observe nanotube structural evolution using time-resolved SANS with in-line UV-vis and fluorescence spectroscopy. This will enable the optimised design of controlled, tuneable nanotubes as drug delivery vectors.