Creating Artificial Viruses Using Self-assembled Proteins and Polypeptides

Viruses are extraordinary entities that have inspired biomolecular engineers to craft artificial versions of them. Recently, multiple efforts have been made to design a minimalistic, programmable, safer, and engineerable virus-like entity. This has opened the field of viromimeticsViromimetics, which aims to design or engineer macromolecules able to self-assemble into nanoparticles and to recreate viral properties. Using peptides, polypeptides, and proteins as building blocks, several strategies have been implemented to develop artificial viruses. Inspired in the way of how naturally occurring viral coat proteins work, peptides and polypeptides have been designed to mimic structural and functional properties of simple coat proteins. Other groups have repurposed protein cages or evolve them to display virus-like properties. These artificial virus-like entities are being applied for gene and drug delivery, antigen display, vaccine design, and also as a way to understand the fundamental nature of viruses.