Advances in Engineered Virus-Like Particles for Applications in Nanomedicine

Precision drug delivery requires carrier systems that combine safety, structural stability, and targeting capability. As self-assembling protein nanocages that lack viral genetic material, virus-like particles (VLPs) offer favorable biocompatibility together with highly programmable architectures. In this review, we summarize the self-assembly mechanisms of VLPs and discuss major functionalization strategies, including bioorthogonal chemistry, non-canonical amino acid incorporation, and biomimetic mineralization. We further examine how these engineering approaches influence VLP performance in cancer immunotherapy, targeted drug delivery, and molecular imaging. Finally, we discuss key barriers to clinical translation, including scalable manufacturing, batch consistency, and pre-existing immunity. We also outline future directions for the development of engineered VLP platforms in nanomedicine.