Microbiological Nanotechnology

Abstract

Most viruses are 10–200 nanometers in diameter and have regular nanostructures. The intersection of virology and nanoscience gave birth to the emergence of virus-based nanotechnology. In the past decade, virus-based nanotechnology has opened up many new possibilities for the development of virus-based nanomaterials and their applications in biotechnology and biomedicine. Compared to other traditional nanomaterials, virion or capsids as a new type of nanomaterials or nanoplatforms have many favorable properties, such as self-assembly, structural symmetry, cell and tissue targeting, easy gene manipulation, etc. This chapter focuses on the recent developments and applications of virus-based nanoparticles (VNPs) as functional nanostructures and nanodevices. Various methods of producing VNPs, as well as the engineering principles used to impart new functionality, are described. The broad applications of VNPs are also introduced, with a focus on bioimaging, nanomedicine, virus tracking, and detection. The field is expected to continue to evolve rapidly, with advances in virus-based nanotechnology opening up exciting new possibilities.KeywordsVirus-based nanotechnologyVirus-based nanoparticlesNanomedicineSingle virus tracking