Peer-Reviewed Publication
bioRxiv2026May 4, 2026Journal Article
Condensate-Like Organization in Respiratory Aerosols Modulates the Dynamics of an Airborne Virus.
Nicholas A Wauer1, Carla Calvó-Tusell1, Abigail C Dommer1,2, Lorenzo Casalino1, Fiona L Kearns1,3, Marcelo Caparotta1,4, Mia A Rosenfeld1,5, Clare K Morris1, Rommie E Amaro1
1Department of Molecular Biology, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California, United States of America.
2Current address: Groningen Biomolecular Sciences and Biotechnology Institute, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands.
3Current address: Institute of Physical Chemistry, University of Freiburg, Albertstrasse 21, 79104 Freiburg, Germany.
4Current address: Instituto de Histología y Embriología de Mendoza (IHEM) - Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Universidad Nacional de Cuyo (UNCuyo), Mendoza, Argentina.
5Current address: Iambic Therapeutics, 5627 Oberlin Drive, San Diego.
Abstract
The molecular behavior of viruses within respiratory aerosols plays a critical role in airborne disease transmission yet remains largely inaccessible to experimental characterization. Here, we use a billion-atom all-atom molecular dynamics simulation of a virus-laden respiratory aerosol to uncover how respiratory proteins, lipids, ions, and water collectively assemble around SARS-CoV-2, giving ris…
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