Patrick Fischer successfully defends doctoral thesis
Patrick’s thesis defence, May 2026
We are delighted to share that Patrick Fischer successfully defended his doctoral thesis on May 19th, 2026, at the University of Würzburg. His thesis, entitled Modulation of the DNA Damage Response and Interferon Pathways by the HSV-1 UL36DUB and the DTX3L–PARP9 Complex, was defended in a hybrid format at Room S268, Institute for Virology and Immunobiology in Würzburg.
Patrick’s doctoral project was carried out as part of DEEP-DV (FOR 5200) — Disrupt, Evade, Exploit — a DFG-funded research unit investigating how herpesviruses manipulate their hosts. His work, carried out in close collaboration with our lab manager and postdoctoral researcher Thomas Hennig, represents a significant contribution to our understanding of how HSV-1 modulates key host defense pathways, specifically the DNA damage response and interferon-stimulated gene expression via the DTX3L–PARP9 complex.
We are incredibly proud of Patrick’s achievement and wish him all the best in the next chapter of his career.
Congratulations, Dr. Fischer! 🎉