Viruses are an emerging class of biological nanomaterial scaffolds, which assemble into homogeneous particles with structures known to atomic resolution. Tobacco mosaic virus (TMV), a rod shaped virus particle (300nm x 18nm) is amenable to both interior and exterior surface modifications, imparting novel functions into the particle.   We report the TMV-templated synthesis of polymer composite nanoparticles.  Both surfaces of the virus have been modified to incorporate tertiary bromides, followed by polymerization via atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP).  We demonstrate the utility of these nanoparticles as fluorine MRI agents, an imaging technique which provides non-radioactive �hot-spot' imaging of particles. An 8-PEG methyl methacrylate monomer with a trifluoromethyloxy-end group, was synthesized by trifluoromethylation of the alcohol terminated PEG monomer and was incorporated into protein:polymer hybrid materials via ATRP.  The resulting particles showed a strong single resonance peak in 19F NMR, which should correspond to excellent contrast in 19F MRI.

Tobacco mosaic virus as a template for smart polymer nanoparticles

245th National Meeting (2013)

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