Nanoparticles based on natural, engineered or synthetic proteins and polypeptides for drug delivery applications.

Medicine formulations at the nanoscale, referred to as nanomedicines, have managed to overcome key challenges encountered during the development of new medical treatments and entered clinical practice, but considerable improvement in terms of local efficacy and reduced toxicity still need to be achieved. Currently, the fourth-generation of nanomedicines is being developed, employing biocompatible nanocarriers that are targeted, multifunctional, and stimuli-responsive. Proteins and polypeptides can fit the standards of an efficient nanovector because of their biodegradability, intrinsic bioactivity, chemical reactivity, stimuli-responsiveness, and ability to participate in complex supramolecular assemblies.