Functionalization of rod-shaped plant viruses for biomedical applications

Biological nanoparticles, particularly rod-shaped plant viruses, have emerged as promising candidates for various biomedical applications. This review focuses on the morphological characteristics and modification strategies of rod-shaped plant viruses such as tobacco mosaic virus, potato virus X, and papaya mosaic virus. These viruses offer versatile modification approaches, including chemical, genetic, and bio-modifications, as well as aspect ratio regulation. Their applications in drug delivery, antibacterial treatments, RNA delivery, bioimaging, and immune modulation are extensively discussed. Rod-shaped plant viruses exhibit unique advantages, such as uniformity in size and molecular weight, excellent biocompatibility, diverse modifiability and inherent immunogenicity, making them highly suitable for biomedical applications. However, challenges remain in their clinical translation. This review aims to provide insights into the potential of rod-shaped plant viruses as biological nanoparticles and stimulate further research in the field of virus-based biomaterials, which may lead to innovative solutions in drug delivery, immune-related therapies and vaccine development.