🦠 Virus Cell Entry Simulator

About this simulation

To infect a cell, an enveloped virus must first find a specific receptor protein studding the host cell's plasma membrane, lock onto it with its surface spike proteins, and then trigger membrane fusion — merging its own lipid envelope with the cell's membrane so its genome can slip into the cytoplasm. This scene stages that sequence: search, docking, receptor binding, fusion-pore formation, and genome release.

How it works

• Search & docking — the virus drifts near the membrane until a spike protein contacts a receptor; more receptors mean a faster encounter.
• Receptor binding — a good structural fit (affinity) between spike and receptor locks the particle in place, exactly as SARS-CoV-2 spike binds ACE2.
• Priming — many spikes need to be cleaved by a host protease (like TMPRSS2) before they can refold and drive fusion; without priming, entry is slower.
• Fusion & release — the spike refolds, pulling the two membranes together into a fusion pore, through which the viral genome enters the cell.

Controls

• Receptor density — how many receptor proteins stud the membrane; higher density means quicker docking.
• Spike–receptor affinity — how tightly the spike protein fits the receptor; higher affinity speeds binding and fusion.
• Protease-primed — toggles whether the spike has already been cleaved by a host protease; unprimed entry is markedly slower.
• Cutaway view — slices the scene to reveal the fusion pore and membrane cross-section. Drag to rotate, scroll to zoom.

Did you know?

*Real membranes and viral particles are on a nanometre scale (a coronavirus spike is about 20nm tall); this simulation exaggerates size and slows every stage so the molecular choreography of entry is visible to the eye.