Methods to determine drug hydrophobicity and to quantify changes in drug hydrophobicity that optimize drug function by means of differential scanning calorimetry of an endothermic phase transition of a base protein-based polymer, specifically of an elastic-contractile model protein, to which is attached the drug to be evaluated for its hydrophobicity in terms of the change in Gibbs free energy for hydrophobic association, ΔGHA have been developed. Also described herein is the preparation of nanoparticles comprised of protein-based polymers, specifically of elastic-contractile model proteins, designed for the binding and desired release rate of a specific drug or class of drugs. Further described herein is a means of targeting the drug-laden nanoparticle to a cell by means of decorating the nanoparticle surface with a molecular entity that selectively binds to the diseased cell or disease causing organism, e.g., by decorating the drug-laden nanoparticle surface with synthetic antigen-binding fragment to an up-regulated receptor characteristic of the diseased cell.
