Sustained release cowpea mosaic virus or virus-like particle therapeutic constructs for the treatment of cancer

1. A method of treating cancer in a subject in need thereof, the method comprising:

administering in situ to cancer cells of the subject a nanoparticle construct, the nanoparticle construct comprising:

a plurality of cowpea mosaic virus or virus-like particles and

a plurality of G4 dendrimers having a different surface charge than the cowpea mosaic virus or virus-like particles electrostatically coupled to the cowpea mosaic virus or virus-like particles, the nanoparticle construct upon in situ delivery to the subject providing a sustained release of the cowpea mosaic virus or virus-like particles and/or nanoparticles to the cancer cells, wherein the cancer is selected from the group consisting of melanoma, breast cancer, colon cancer, lung cancer, and ovarian cancer.

2. The method of claim 1 , the nanoparticle construct having a hydrodynamic radius of about 100 nm to about two microns.

3. The method of claim 1 , the nanoparticle construct upon administration to a subject disassembles in a sustained manner at physiological pH.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the cowpea mosaic virus or virus-like particle is a cowpea mosaic virus-like particle.

5. The method of claim 1 , the nanoparticle construct comprising alternating electrostatically coupled layers of the cowpea mosaic virus or virus-like particles and the G4 dendrimers.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein the cowpea mosaic virus or virus-like particle is loaded with or bonded to a cargo molecule.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein the cargo molecule is an anticancer agent.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the nanoparticle construct is administered proximal to a tumor in the subject.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the cancer is metastatic cancer.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the cancer is ovarian cancer.