From exhaled droplet to infection - the microphysics of respiratory aerosols

For every breath we take, aerosol droplets are created in our respiratory system and exhaled from our mouth. However, little is known about the complex drying process taking place when the droplet enters the drier ambient air.

A newly developed technique based on levitation of droplets using an electrodynamic balance (EDB) can follow droplet drying processes in real time using near forward light scattering.The aim of this project is to use an EDB to study the drying process of droplets of different compositions and how the drying process influence the infectivity of viruses.

The project will evaluate the effect on virus infectivity of i) liquid composition, and ii) droplet size, two parameters that alter the droplet drying rate. The effect of droplet size will be studied using nebulization and size-selected aerosol collection.

In order to see differences between seasonal and non-seasonal viruses, one enveloped (mouse hepatitis virus, MHV) and one non-enveloped (rhinovirus, RV) will be evaluated.The project will start at the University of Bristol, evaluating MHV infectivity in droplets of different liquid compositions. Then I will study the effect of particle size on RV and MHV infectivity at Lund University.

Finally, I will repeat the first project part in Bristol, but with RV.This research will result in a deeper understanding of the fundamental processes behind airborne transmission, facilitating more precise mitigation strategies for prevention of respiratory diseases.