Peptide-Containing Block Copolymers: Synthesis and Potential Applications of Bio-Mimetic Materials

The progress in both peptide and polymer chemistry has led to the preparation of “hybrids” to yield compounds with properties not achievable with the separate components. In this review we aim at describing the current synthetic methodologies for the preparation of peptide containing block copolymers, either being completely peptidic or as hybrids with synthetic polymer blocks. The different techniques to prepare these polymers are ordered by level of control over peptide sequence and hence their molecular structure. First, recent developments in NCA polymerization will be discussed, which enable the construction of well-defined high molecular weight peptide based block copolymers, albeit with no absolute control over amino acid composition. Solution phase peptide synthesis allows the preparation of small peptide sequences, which can be incorporated into the side chain or the main chain of hybrid polymer architectures. Application of solid phase peptide synthesis and the newly developed peptide ligation methods has resulted in an extension of the length of the peptide fragments that can be conveniently incorporated into hybrid polymer structures. Finally absolute control over amino acid sequence, combined with the ability to create high molecular weight species is accomplished with the application of protein engineering to the field of polymer science.