Complete Coronavirus Model

The COVID-19 virus holds some mysteries. Scientists remain in the dark on details of its behavior such as how it fuses and enters the host cell; how it assembles itself; and how it buds off the host cell to spread infection. Computational modeling combined with experimental data can provide insights into these behaviors. But modeling over timescales long enough to mean anything has so far been limited to bits and pieces of the coronavirus, like its spike protein, which is a target for the current round of vaccines. A new multiscale coarse-grained model of the complete SARS-CoV-2 virion, its core genetic material and capsid shell, has been developed using supercomputers. The new model offers scientists potential to gain new insights and vulnerabilities in the coronavirus’s large-scale behavior. The Supersized Science podcast features interviews with Gregory Voth of the University of Chicago; and Rommie Amaro of the University of California, San Diego. They’re coauthors of a study that details the new computer model of the complete coronavirus, published in November 2020 in the Biophysical Journal.