Self-assembling virus-like particles

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Nature has evolved proteins that can spontaneously self-assemble to create complex structures such as virus particles and molecular motors. These capsules and molecular machines typically have sizes of 10-100 nm and thus constitute ideal building blocks for nanotechnology. The fields of bionanoscience and synthetic biology are based on the concept that by combining biological building blocks with synthetic molecules it will be possible to construct novel nano-scale objects and machines that can do useful work. The applications of bionanoscience can range from targeted drug/gene delivery for healthcare to making nano-patterned surfaces for molecular electronics. In this project we will develop new strategies to self-assemble virus-like particles using naturally occurring proteins which will be linked together by synthetic molecules.