ABSTRACT
Since viruses are nature’s self-assembled biological nanoparticles, a renewed interest in them has come from their reprogramming for a wide spectrum of new potential applications ranging from electronics [1] to recongurable materials [2,3] and nanomedicine [4,5]. Here, we review one of the rapidly growing virus nanotechnology application areas: the use of virus-based imaging probes in nanomedicine [6]. Specic topics include virus-like particles (VLPs) as contrast agents for nonintrusive in vivo imaging in diagnostics, and for studies of the mechanisms of virus-host cell interaction, which are important for understanding and ghting pathogenesis.
