Virus-like Particle (VLP) Vaccines for Cancer Immunotherapy
Francesca Ruzzi, Maria Sofia Semprini, Laura Scalambra, Arianna Palladini, Stefania Angelicola, Chiara Cappello, Olga Maria Pittino, Patrizia Nanni, Pier-Luigi Lollini- Inorganic Chemistry
- Organic Chemistry
- Physical and Theoretical Chemistry
- Computer Science Applications
- Spectroscopy
- Molecular Biology
- General Medicine
- Catalysis
Cancer vaccines are increasingly being studied as a possible strategy to prevent and treat cancers. While several prophylactic vaccines for virus-caused cancers are approved and efficiently used worldwide, the development of therapeutic cancer vaccines needs to be further implemented. Virus-like particles (VLPs) are self-assembled protein structures that mimic native viruses or bacteriophages but lack the replicative material. VLP platforms are designed to display single or multiple antigens with a high-density pattern, which can trigger both cellular and humoral responses. The aim of this review is to provide a comprehensive overview of preventive VLP-based vaccines currently approved worldwide against HBV and HPV infections or under evaluation to prevent virus-caused cancers. Furthermore, preclinical and early clinical data on prophylactic and therapeutic VLP-based cancer vaccines were summarized with a focus on HER-2-positive breast cancer.