As a proof of concept, we bioengineered the vesicular stomatitis virus glycoprotein (VSV-G)-based near-infrared (NIR) active viral nanoconstructs (NAVNs) encapsulating indocyanine green dye (ICG) for NIR bioimaging. NAVNs are spherical in size and have the intrinsic cellular-fusogenic properties of VSV-G. Further, the NIR imaging displaying higher fluorescence intensity in NAVNs treated cells suggests enhanced cellular…