There is provided herein a nanovesicle comprising a monolayer of phospholipid, porphyrin-phospholipid conjugate and a peptide encapsulating a hydrophobic core, wherein the peptide comprises an amino acid sequence capable of forming at least one amphipathic -helix; the porphyrin-phospholipid conjugate comprises one porphyrin, porphyrin derivative or porphyrin analog covalently attached to a lipid side chain, preferably at the sn-1 or the sn-2 position, of one phospholipid; the molar % of porphyrin-phospholipid conjugate to phospholipid is 35% or less; the nanovesicle is 35 nm in diameter or less.

A self-assembling nanoparticle drug delivery system for the delivery of drugs including peptides, proteins, nucleic acids or synthetic chemical drugs is provided. The self-assembling nanoparticle drug delivery system described herein includes viral capsid proteins, such as Hepatitis B Virus core protein, encapsulating the drug, a lipid bi-layer envelope and targeting or facilitating molecules anchored in the lipid bilayer. A method for construction of the self-assembling nanoparticle drug delivery system is also provided.