Abstract This work focuses on the cationic antimicrobial peptide (CAP) DP18L with its known propensity to target and selectively kill cancer cells. DP18L was derivatised to dap-DP18L where dap is 2, 3-diaminopropionic acid. Dap facilitated binding to Pt II via an (N, N') bidentate ligand to afford the first reported Pt-CAP complex, cis-[Pt (dap-DP18L) Cl 2)]. The syntheses of the peptides and the Pt-peptide complex were carried out using solid phase ...