ABSTRACT
A wide variety of chemistries have been developed that facilitated the functionalization and incorporation of viral nanoparticles (VNPs) into devices. In medicine, VNPs have been applied in diagnostic assays, as vaccines, imaging modalities, and targeted therapeutic devices. Optimization of VNP production and scale-up has already been successful for some systems, such as vaccine production, for example, the Hepatitis B and Human papilloma virus vaccines. As the application of VNP technologies progresses toward industrial practice and clinical trials, large-scale production, quality control, reproducibility, and safety become increasingly important. Viral nanotechnology has grown out of its infancy, and a new era has begun in which pathogens have become tailorable nanoscale building materials. Viral nanotechnology will continue to be an inspiring and fast-paced field, one that holds great promise for the development of next-generation devices and therapeutics.
