Among various anticancer drugs

peptide drugs have attracted extensive attention because of their high efficiency

specificity

and low toxicity. However

the poor stability and short half-life in the body restrict the clinical development of peptide-based pharmaceuticals. Recently

Yi

Zhao

Wang

Zhang

and coworkers have proposed a convenient and efficient supramolecular peptide therapy. This strategy includes the processes of the installation of the phenylalanine

a natural amino acid

to the

N

-terminal of the therapeutic peptide and the generation of supramolecular peptide complexes from phenylalanine containing peptides and cucurbit[7]uril-containing polymers through host-guest interactions. Compared with the naked peptide drugs

the supramolecular peptide complexes are less toxic to normal cells

more stable in blood circulation

and more easily accumulated in tumor

thereby achieving the improved anticancer efficacy with low side effects. This supramolecular peptide therapeutics provides a new insight into the supramolecular chemistry for deliveries of peptide- and protein-based pharmaceuticals. The clinical application of the supramolecular peptide therapeutics is highly anticipated.