title: Combination of viral biology and nanotechnology: new applications in nanomedicine.
abstract: Viruses are well known for their ability to cause disease, but their beneficial usefulness as vectors for gene therapy have been noted as well. As an extension of their use in a gene therapy context, their combination with nanotechnology is starting to benefit many areas of science and medicine. These include nanofabrication and medical diagnostics, to name a few, as well as viro-nanotherapy, here defined as the combination of viral biology with nanotechnology to create new therapeutic avenues to treat disease. This review provides examples of areas wherein viruses in combination with nanotechnology are being used to either advance scientific knowledge or accelerate the development of new diagnostics and therapeutics for human pathological conditions.
authors.affiliation: Division of Human Gene Therapy, Department of Medicine, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama 35294-2180, USA.
authors.forename: Vaibhav
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Saini
authors.forename: Vladimir P
authors.initials: VP
authors.lastname: Zharov
authors.forename: Christopher S
authors.initials: CS
authors.lastname: Brazel
authors.forename: David E
authors.initials: DE
authors.lastname: Nikles
authors.forename: Duane T
authors.initials: DT
authors.lastname: Johnson
authors.forename: Maaike
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Everts
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D015316:Genetic Therapy / Q000379:methods / Q000639:trends; D006801:Humans; D008856:Microscopy, Fluorescence / Q000379:methods*; D050997:Nanomedicine / Q000379:methods* / Q000639:trends*; D049329:Nanostructures / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D018511:Systems Integration; D014773:Virology / Q000379:methods* / Q000639:trends*