Emerging prospects of protein/peptide-based nanoassemblies for drug delivery and vaccine development

Proteins have been widely used in the biomedical field because of their well-defined architecture,accurate molecular weight,excellent biocompatibility and biodegradability,and easy-to-functionalization.Inspired by the wisdom of nature,increasing proteins/peptides that possess self-assembling capabilities have been explored and designed to generate nanoassemblies with unique structure and function,including spatially organized conformation,passive and active targeting,stimuli-responsiveness,and high stability.These characteristics make protein/peptide-based nanoassembly an ideal platform for drug delivery and vaccine development.In this review,we focus on recent advances in subsistent protein/peptide-based nanoassemblies,including protein nanocages,virus-like particles,self-assemblable natural proteins,and self-assemblable artificial peptides.The origin and characteristics of various protein/peptide-based assemblies and their applications in drug delivery and vaccine development are summarized.In the end,the prospects and challenges are discussed for the further development of protein/peptide-based nanoassemblies.