Engineering protein nanocages as carriers for biomedical applications

Bhaskar, Sathyamoorthy; Lim, Sierin

S Bhaskar and S Lim remain understudied. For example, the self-assembly mechanism of many protein nanocages remains elusive. A detailed mechanistic understanding is important to better design drug loading and release properties. The mechanism of internalization and intracellular processing of these nanoparticles is yet to be determined. Although cell-specific delivery of protein nanocages is possible, the targeting efficiency of these carriers presents a major challenge. In addition, penetration through other physiological barriers such as the epidermal skin layer and corneal layer has yet to be addressed. The advent of synthetic biomaterials such as artificial peptides, modular proteins and polymers widens the scope for additional properties such as reversible aggregation, which can complement natural scaffolds. The design of hybrid nanoscaffolds de novo via nature's bottom-up approach using smart synthetic materials could provide critical advantages, such as biocompatibility, site-specific modification, control of self-assembly with respect to environmental stimulus, stability and drug/nucleic acid loading. These novel bioinspired materials, which are formed by the self-assembly of distinctly engineered protein subunits for various functions, are of immense value in nanomedicine and associated medical fields.