viruslika
Viruslika is a non-formal term used in virology and related disciplines to describe entities or sequences that resemble viruses in aspects such as particle form, genome organization, or interaction with host cells, while not meeting the full criteria of infectious viruses. The term does not denote a taxonomic group and its use varies across literature.
In practice, viruslika encompasses several related concepts. Virus-like particles (VLPs) are self-assembling structures formed from viral
Properties commonly associated with viruslika include small size (often tens to a few hundred nanometers), a
Applications span vaccines (VLP-based), gene delivery and therapy (where non-replicating replicons or VLPs serve as delivery
Related topics include virus-like particles, endogenous viral elements, viral mimetics, and non-viral delivery systems.