Modeling and characterization of virus-mediated cell fusion assays

Many viruses, including SARS-CoV-2, have the ability to cause neighboring cells to fuse into multi-nucleated cells called syncytia. Much is still unknown about how syncytia affect the course of viral infection. Using data from a recent study of virus-mediated cell fusion for different SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern, we use mathematical modeling to estimate the syncytia formation rate and the average fusing time of SARS-CoV-2 variants. We find that the alpha variant has a syncytia formation rate higher than other variants. We are also able to estimate the time it takes for fusion to occur, finding that the beta variant takes the longest, followed by the alpha variant, with the original Wuhan strain fusing fastest. This study exemplifies the role that mathematical models can play in helping to quantify the biological characteristics of different viruses. '