Condensate-Like Organization in Respiratory Aerosols Modulates the Dynamics of an Airborne Virus

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 rise to structured microenvironments that influence viral stability and spike dynamics. We find that respiratory components rapidly evolve into heterogeneous networks characterized by protein-rich aggregates, patchy lipid assemblies, and spatially structured ion and water dynamics. These features create distinct microenvironments that constrain molecular transport and stabilize regions surrounding the virion. Within this crowded aerosol context, we observe sustained and selective interactions between aerosol components and the viral spike protein, including preferential recruitment of surfactant lipids and persistent coordination by divalent cations. These interactions modulate spike conformational dynamics, enhancing domain breathing motions and flexibility at key hinge regions while preserving a stable membrane anchor. Together, these observations reveal a condensate-like physical regime in which multivalent aerosol components coalesce into a soft, heterogeneous matrix that selectively modulates viral protein dynamics under extreme crowding. By framing virus-laden respiratory aerosols within this physical context, this work establishes an in situ molecular framework for understanding how aerosols influence viral persistence and offers a platform for exploring mechanisms relevant to airborne disease transmission and mitigation strategies.