title: Virus-Based Nanoparticles as Versatile Nanomachines.
abstract: Nanoscale engineering is revolutionizing the way we prevent, detect, and treat diseases. Viruses have played a special role in these developments because they can function as prefabricated nanoscaffolds that have unique properties and are easily modified. The interiors of virus particles can encapsulate and protect sensitive compounds, while the exteriors can be altered to display large and small molecules in precisely defined arrays. These properties of viruses, along with their innate biocompatibility, have led to their development as actively targeted drug delivery systems that expand on and improve current pharmaceutical options. Viruses are naturally immunogenic, and antigens displayed on their surface have been used to create vaccines against pathogens and to break self-tolerance to initiate an immune response to dysfunctional proteins. Densely and specifically aligned imaging agents on viruses have allowed for high-resolution and noninvasive visualization tools to detect and treat diseases earlier than previously possible. These and future applications of viruses have created an exciting new field within the disciplines of both nanotechnology and medicine.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, Point Loma Nazarene University, San Diego, California 92106; email: kkoudelk@pointloma.edu.
authors.forename: Kristopher J
authors.initials: KJ
authors.lastname: Koudelka
authors.affiliation: Departments of 2Biomedical Engineering.
authors.forename: Andrzej S
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Pitek
authors.affiliation: Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California 92093.
authors.forename: Marianne
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Manchester
authors.affiliation: Departments of 2Biomedical Engineering.|Radiology.|Materials Science and Engineering, and.|Macromolecular Science and Engineering, Case Western Reserve University, Schools of Medicine and Engineering, Cleveland, Ohio 44106; email: nicole.steinmetz@case.edu.
authors.forename: Nicole F
authors.initials: NF
authors.lastname: Steinmetz
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D016503:Drug Delivery Systems / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods; D006801:Humans; D053758:Nanoparticles / Q000737:chemistry*; D036103:Nanotechnology / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods; D014780:Viruses / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism
keywords: drug delivery; imaging; nanotechnology; vaccines; viruses