Virus-like particles: a self-assembled toolbox for cancer therapy

Nanoparticle-based therapeutics have been applied in a broad range of clinical and preclinical applications from diagnosis to treatment for cancer. A wide synthetic naturally occurring materials, such as polymers, metal oxides, silicate, liposomes, carbon nanotubes, developed overcome key barriers small molecule therapeutics, including intracellular trafficking, cell/tissue targeting, poor biodistribution, low efficiency. Virus-like particles—engineered non-infectious self-assembling systems based on viral nanostructures—are new approach toward overcoming these limitations, they are protein-based nanomaterial that closely mimics the highly symmetrical polyvalent conformation viruses while lacking genomes. Their innate biocompatibility, biodegradability, monodispersity, mild immunogenicity, safety combined with capacity chemically modify interior exterior surfaces offer scientists customizable tool design engineer multicomponent therapeutic agents. In this review, we discuss how used array cancer treatments, phototherapy, immunotherapy, gene therapy, chemotherapy.