Virus-like particles for drug delivery: a review of methods and applications

Virus-like particles (VLPs) are self-assembling protein nanoparticles that have great promise as vectors for drug delivery. VLPs are derived from viruses but retain none of their infection or replication capabilities. These protein particles have defined surface chemistries, uniform sizes, and stability properties that make them attractive starting points for drug -delivery scaffolds. Here, we review recent advances in tailoring VLPs for drug-delivery applications, including VLP platform engineering approaches as well as methods for cargo loading, activation, and release. Finally, we highlight several successes using VLPs for drug delivery in model systems.

病毒样颗粒（VLPs）是自组装的蛋白质纳米颗粒，作为药物递送载体具有很大的应用前景。VLPs来源于病毒，但不具备任何感染或复制能力。这些蛋白质颗粒具有明确的表面化学性质、均一的尺寸和稳定性，这使它们成为药物递送支架的理想起点。在此，我们综述了在针对药物递送应用定制VLPs方面的最新进展，包括VLP平台工程方法以及货物装载、激活和释放的方法。最后，我们强调了在模型系统中使用VLPs进行药物递送的几个成功案例。