Journal Home > Volume 15 , Issue 6

Functional proteins are the most versatile macromolecules. They can be obtained by extraction from natural sources or by genetic engineering technologies. The outstanding selectivity, specificity, binding activity, and biocompatibility endow engineered proteins with outstanding performance for disease therapy. Nevertheless, their stability is dramatically impaired in blood circulation, hindering clinical translations. Thus, many strategies have been developed to improve the stability, efficacy, bioavailability, and productivity of therapeutic proteins for clinical applications. In this review, we summarize the recent progress in the fabrication and application of therapeutic proteins. We first introduce various strategies for improving therapeutic efficacy via bioengineering and nanoassembly. Furthermore, we highlight their diverse applications as growth factors, nanovaccines, antibody-based drugs, bioimaging molecules, and cytokine receptor antagonists. Finally, a summary and perspective for the future development of therapeutic proteins are presented.

Publication history
Copyright
Acknowledgements

Publication history

Received: 03 October 2021
Revised: 20 November 2021
Accepted: 25 December 2021
Published: 07 March 2022
Issue date: June 2022

Copyright

© Tsinghua University Press 2022

Acknowledgements

Acknowledgements

This research was supported by the National Key Research and Development Program of China (Nos. 2020YFA0908900, 2018YFA0902600, and 2020YFA0712102), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Nos. 21877104, 21834007, 22107097, 21878258, 22020102003, and 22125701), K. C. Wong Education Foundation (No. GJTD-2018-09), and the Youth Innovation Promotion Association of the Chinese Academy (CAS, No. 2021226).

Return