Coated plant virus imaging agents

Abstract

An imaging nanoparticle comprising a plant virus particle having an interior surface and an exterior surface, an imaging agent that is linked to the interior and/or exterior surface, and a layer of biocompatible mineral such as silica coated over the exterior surface, is described. The imaging nanoparticle can be used in method of generating an image of a tissue region of a subject, by administering to the subject a diagnostically effective amount of an imaging nanoparticle and generating an image of the tissue region of the subject to which the imaging nanoparticle has been distributed.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.