Using viruses as carriers for drug delivery

new nano-carrier platforms based on natural biological building blocks offer great promises in revolutionizing medicine. The usage of specific protein cage structures such as virus-like particles (VLPs) for drug packaging and targeted delivery has attracted much attention. versatile chemical and genetic modifications on the outer surfaces and inner cavities of VLPs facilitate the preparation of new materials requirements for drug delivery. A full evaluation on the toxicity, biodistribution and immunology of these materials are envisaged to boost their application potentials. VLPs can easily offer the requirements that are needed for a drug delivery, such as biocompatibility, solubility in water, and high uptake efficiency.