Flexuous plant viruses as nanomaterials for biomedical applications

Virus particles are naturally occurring nanomaterials. They are widely recognized as excellent templates for fabrication of functional nanomaterials due to their nat¬urally occurring nanoscale size, ease of production, monodispersity in terms of composition/size/shape, stability, programmability, and biodegradability. Plant virus particles are completely noninfectious to humankind. In addition, the pros¬pect of cost-effective production in plants, ease of tailoring via genetic engineering or chemical modifications and excellent biocompatibility are some of the features that makes plant viruses a game changer in biomedical sectors. Unlike icosahe- dral viruses like cowpea mosaic virus (CPMV) and cowpea chlorotic mosaic virus (CCMV) or rigid rod-shaped viruses like Tobacco mosaic virus (TMV), flexuous plant viruses are drastically less studied. This chapter encompasses general intro¬duction on plant viruses, followed by discussions focused on flexuous plant virus particles, their structures and production platforms. Finally, their functionaliza¬tion and uses in biomedical sectors are summarized.