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Updated: May 10, 2026

Simple and Robust in vivo and in vitro Approach for Studying Virus Assembly
Published on: March 1, 2012
Theoretical studies on assembly, physical stability and dynamics of viruses
1Department of Fundamental Physics, Universitat de Barcelona, c/Martí i Franquès 1, 08028, Barcelona, Spain.
Abstract:
All matter has to obey the general laws of physics and living matter is not an exception. Viruses have not only learnt how to cope with them, but have managed to use them for their own survival. In this chapter we will review some of the exciting physics behind viruses and discuss simple physical models that can shed some light on different aspects of the viral life cycle and viral properties. In particular, we will focus on how the structure and shape of the capsid, its assembly and stability, and the entry and exit of viral particles and their genomes can be understood using fundamental physics theories.
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