A virus in a nutshell

Nature has found remarkable ways to protect sensitive objects. One example is the seed of a nut which is protected by its shell. Another are viruses from the cypovirus family. They are hidden inside tiny natural crystals where they can survive harsh conditions until they meet their target, the gut of the silkworm. Here the virus is released from the crystal causing a virus infection of the worm. Researchers have now unraveled the structure of these natural protein crystals. This allows them to understand how and why the virus particles are so well protected by its crystal. This knowledge might not only help farmers by protecting the silkworm from the cypovirus family, much more it may lead to novel concepts for dedicated drug delivery. Imagine a beneficial drug introduced into such a crystal designed to specifically delivery its cargo to a target, the center of a disease in the human body.

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