Second career of a biosynthetic enzyme: Lumazine synthase as a virus-like nanoparticle in vaccine development

•Virus-like nano-particles can be successfully applied in vaccine development.•Scaffolds can be cage-forming highly symmetric biological macromolecules, like lumazine synthase, ferritin or self-assembling nanoparticles created computationally ab initio.•Symmetrical nano-particle scaffolds can display structurally ordered immunogen arrays which lead to favorable reaction with B cell receptors.•Animal-, preclinical- and clinical studies are at present pointing to the usefulness of nanoparticle antigens in creating immune responses against HIV, Borrelia, Influenza.