On Friday 24 April 2026 at 12:30, Giorgia Marino defends her PhD dissertation entitled “In vivo characterization of immune pathways during HSV-1 infection”. 

Herpes simplex encephalitis is a rare but severe brain infection that can cause lasting neurological damage or death. Despite its clinical importance, the early events that determine how the virus spreads in the brain and how the immune system controls it remain poorly understood. This PhD project provides new insights into how the virus targets specific brain cells and how early immune responses shape disease progression. 

In this PhD project, I studied how herpes simplex virus interacts with different cell types in the brain and how the immune system responds during the early stages of infection. The work focuses on identifying which cells are involved in the infection process and how immune responses are organised within brain tissue.
To address this, I applied imaging mass cytometry, a technique that enables the simultaneous analysis of multiple cell types and molecular markers directly in tissue sections. This approach allows a detailed spatial understanding of how infection and immune responses are structured within the brain.

In addition, the project explores the role of specific host factors that may influence how the virus enters and spreads within the central nervous system.
Overall, the project contributes to a broader understanding of viral brain infections and the complex interactions between viruses and the immune system.

The summary is written by the PhD student.

The defence is public and takes place in Auditorium 1871-120, Aarhus University. Please see the press release for more information. 

Contact

PhD student Giorgia Marino
Mail: gima4597@biomed.au.dk 
Phone: +45 50342730

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