Ch. 1. An introduction to VNPs and nanotechnology --; ch. 2. Overview of the manifold VNPs used in nanotechnology --; ch. 3. Production of VNPs, VLPs, and chimeras --; ch. 4. The art of bioconjugation : functionalization of VNPs --; ch. 5. Encapsulating materials within VNPs --; ch. 6. VNPs as templates for materials synthesis --; ch. 7. Playing "nano-lego" : VNPs as building blocks for the construction of multi-dimensional arrays --; ch. 8. VNPs as tools for nanomedicine --; ch. 9. Summary and outlook.