Method for preparing a telechelic polymer from a peptide

A method for preparing a telechelic polymer derived from a peptide, wherein the telechelic polymer is suitable for end-crosslinking, the method comprising the steps of:

• providing in a peptide provision step a peptide comprising an N-terminus comprising an amino group and a carboxy-terminus comprising a carboxylic acid group;
• chemically activating in a carboxy-terminus activation step the carboxylic acid group of the carboxy-terminus of said peptide yielding a peptide comprising an activated carboxy-terminus;
• reacting in an activated carboxy-terminus nucleophile introduction step said peptide comprising an activated carboxy-terminus with a compound comprising a nucleophile yielding a peptide comprising a modified carboxy-terminus, wherein the modified carboxy-terminus comprises the nucleophile;
• reacting in an N-terminus cross-linkable modification step said N-terminus with an N-terminus specific cross-linkable compound, thereby yielding a cross-linkable N-terminus;
• and
• reacting in a modified carboxy-terminus cross-linkable modification step said modified carboxy-terminus with a modified carboxy-terminus-specific cross-linkable compound, thereby yielding a cross-linkable modified carboxy-terminus;
• wherein the N-terminus cross-linkable modification step is carried out prior to the modified carboxy-terminus cross-linkable modification step, the N-terminus cross-linkable modification step is carried out subsequent to the modified carboxy-terminus cross-linkable modification step, or the N-terminus cross-linkable modification step is carried out at the same time as the modified carboxy-terminus cross-linkable modification step, and
• obtaining a peptide comprising a cross-linkable N-terminus and a cross-linkable modified carboxy-terminus.