Artificial viruses: a nanotechnological approach to gene delivery

Abstract

Nanotechnology is a rapidly expanding multidisciplinary field in which highly sophisticated nanoscale devices are constructed from atoms, molecules or (macro)molecular assemblies. In the field of gene medicine, systems for delivering nucleic acids are being developed that incorporate virus-like functions in a single nanoparticle. Although their development is still in its infancy, it is expected that such artificial viruses will have a great impact on the advancements of gene therapeutics.