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Updated: Oct 18, 2025

Modeling The Lifecycle Of Ebola Virus Under Biosafety Level 2 Conditions With Virus-like Particles Containing Tetracistronic Minigenomes

Modeling The Lifecycle Of Ebola Virus Under Biosafety Level 2 Conditions With Virus-like Particles Containing Tetracistronic Minigenomes

Published on: September 27, 2014

Phase transitions in virology.

Ricard Solé^1,2,3, Josep Sardanyés^4,5, Santiago F Elena^3,6

¹ICREA-Complex Systems Lab, Universitat Pompeu Fabra-PRBB, Dr Aiguader 80, 08003 Barcelona, Spain.

Reports on Progress in Physics. Physical Society (Great Britain)

|September 29, 2021

Summary

Viral dynamics across scales can be understood using physics-inspired phase transition models. These minimal models offer insights into viral evolution, complexity, and epidemic spreading.

Keywords:

bifurcations complex systems epidemics mutation phase transitions recombination self-assembly viruses

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Published on: September 27, 2014

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Published on: January 15, 2020

Area of Science:

Virology
Mathematical Biology
Physics

Background:

Viruses interact with all life forms, often parasitically, causing significant health and economic impacts.
Viruses influence host evolution and can be integrated into host genomes.
Viral dynamics occur across multiple biological scales, from molecular mechanisms to global pandemics.

Purpose of the Study:

To explore the application of physics phase transition models to understand viral dynamics.
To investigate how simplified mathematical models can illuminate viral origins, evolution, and complexity.
To connect viral dynamics across different scales and highlight evolutionary and clinical implications.

Main Methods:

Review of mathematical models of transition phenomena in virology.
Application of physics concepts of phase transitions to viral systems.
Analysis of minimal models to understand viral complexity and dynamics.

Main Results:

Phase transition concepts provide a framework for understanding viral behavior at different scales.
Minimal models reveal insights into viral origins, evolution, and the emergence of complexity.
Threshold conditions are identified that connect molecular, epidemic, and evolutionary viral dynamics.

Conclusions:

Physics-inspired models offer powerful, simplified perspectives on complex viral phenomena.
Understanding viral phase transitions can inform evolutionary and clinical strategies.
Multiscale analysis using minimal models is key to deciphering viral dynamics.