The discovery of designer nucleases has made genome editing much more efficient than before. The designer nucleases have been widely used for mechanistic studies, animal model generation and gene therapy development. However, potential off-targets and host immune responses are issues still need to be addressed for in vivo uses, especially clinical applications. Short term expression of the designer nucleases is necessary to reduce both risks. Currently, various delivery methods are being developed for transient expression of designer nucleases including Zinc Finger Nuclease (ZNF), Transcription Activator-Like Effector Nuclease (TALEN) and Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats/CRISPR-associated (CRISPR/Cas). Recently, virus-like particles are being used for gene editing. In this review, we will talk through commonly used genome editing nucleases, discuss gene editing delivery tools and review the latest literature using virus-like particles to deliver gene editing effectors.

The designer nucleases, including Zinc Finger Nuclease (ZFN), Transcription Activator-Like Effector Nuclease (TALEN), and Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats/CRISPR-associated (CRISPR/Cas), have been widely used for mechanistic studies, animal model generation, and gene therapy development. Clinical trials using designer nucleases to treat genetic diseases or cancers are showing promising results. Despite rapid progress, potential off-targets and host immune responses are challenges to be addressed for in vivo uses, especially in clinical applications. Short-term expression of the designer nucleases is necessary to reduce both risks. Currently, delivery methods enabling transient expression of designer nucleases are being pursued. Among these, virus-like particles as delivery vehicles for short-term designer nuclease expression have received much attention. This review will summarize recent developments in using virus-like particles (VLPs) for safe delivery of gene editing effectors to complement our last review on the same topic. First, we introduce some background information on how VLPs can be used for safe and efficient CRISPR/Cas9 delivery. Then, we summarize recently developed virus-like particles as genome editing vehicles. Finally, we discuss applications and future directions.