Nanoparticles have been shown to be effective drug carriers in cancer therapy. Pancreatic cancer forms dense tumours which are often resistant to drug molecules. In order to overcome such multidrug resistance, new drug entities, novel delivery systems and combination therapy strategies are being explored. In this paper, we report the design and synthesis of a poly(allylamine)-based amphiphile modified with hydrophobic naphthalimido pendant groups. Bisnaphthalimide compounds have been shown to possess anticancer activity.