On Thursday 15 January at 13:00, Xiangning Ding defends her PhD dissertation entitled "Deciphering protective and pathological CNS responses to HSV-1 infection through single-cell transcriptomics analysis". 

Ding and colleagues investigate how immune responses in the central nervous system are regulated during infection with herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1), a virus that in rare cases can cause herpes simplex encephalitis, a severe and potentially fatal brain disease. Using advanced techniques such as single-cell transcriptomics and spatial transcriptomics, the project maps how brain cells respond dynamically to viral infection at cellular resolution. The results demonstrate that specific immune cell populations, particularly microglia, play a dual role by contributing to both antiviral protection and harmful inflammation. The research further shows that the antiviral signaling factor IRF3 is crucial for controlling viral spread and limiting neuroinflammation in the brain. Overall, the findings provide new insights into how immune balance is maintained in the brain during infection and identify potential therapeutic targets for the treatment and prevention of virus-induced neurological diseases.

The summary is written by the PhD student.

The defence is public and takes place in auditorium A, Building 1162-013, Aarhus University. Please see the press release for more information. 

Contact

PhD student Xiangning Ding
Mail: xiangningding@biomed.au.dk   
Phone: +45 50121914

Read full press release