Self-assembled protein-coated polyhydroxyalkanoate beads: properties and biomedical applications

Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) are biological polyesters that can be naturally produced by a range of bacteria as water-insoluble inclusions composed of a PHA core coated with PHA synthesis, structural, and regulatory proteins. These naturally self-assembling shell–core particles have been recently conceived as biomaterials that can be bioengineered as biologically active beads for medical applications. Protein engineering of PHA-associated proteins enabled the production of PHA–protein assemblies exhibiting biologically active protein-based functions relevant for applications as vaccines or diagnostics. Here we provide an overview of the recent advances in bioengineering of PHA particles toward the display of biomedically relevant protein functions such as selected disease-specific antigens as diagnostic tools or for the design of particulate subunit vaccines against infectious diseases such as tuberculosis, meningitis, pneumonia, and hepatitis C.