Methods for making metallopeptides and metallopeptide libraries

A method of obtaining a metallopeptide having a desired target property, comprising the steps of:

• a) Providing a mixture of candidate peptides, each peptide comprising a metal ion-binding backbone with two or more contiguous amino acids available for complexing with a metal ion, and which metal ion-binding backbone is conformationally constrained upon complexing the metal ion-binding backbone with a metal ion, each peptide further comprising distinct, unique and different amino acid sequences, wherein the presence of each peptide in the mixture is predetermined;
• b) Complexing the metal ion-binding backbone of the peptides with a metal ion;
• and
• c) Selecting from among the mixture of candidate metallopeptide having a desired target property by exposing the mixture of candidate metallopeptides to a substance to which a metallopeptide with the desired target property will preferentially bind.

A method of obtaining a metallopeptide having a desired target property, comprising the steps of:

• a) providing known combinations of two, three or four contiguous amino acids comprising a metal ion-binding backbone wherein each amino acid is available for complexing with a metal ion, and further wherein the metal ion-binding backbone is conformationally constrained upon complexing the metal ion-binding backbone with a metal ion;
• b) adding distinct, unique and different amino acid sequences, each sequence comprising one or more amino acids, to the amino acids comprising a metal ion-binding backbone, wherein the presence of each peptide in the mixture is predetermined;
• c) complexing the metal ion-binding backbone of the peptides with a metal ion;
• and
• d) selecting from among the mixture of candidate metallopeptides a metallopeptide having a desired target property by exposing the mixture of candidate metallopeptides to a substance to which a metallopeptide with the desired target property will preferentially bind.