Benjamin Rost

Dr. Benjamin Rost is a researcher at the Institute of Neurophysiology within the Faculty of Medicine at Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin. He is a core member of Collaborative Research Center SFB 1315 (Project C01), focused on developing molecular tools for memory engram manipulation and investigation.

His research centers on optogenetic technology development and neural circuit analysis, with specific expertise in synaptic plasticity mechanisms, calcium signaling control, and neuromuscular junction modeling. Key contributions include engineering calcium-permeable channelrhodopsins (CapChRs) for precise intracellular signaling manipulation, developing bistable opto-GPCRs like PdCO for multiplexed circuit interrogation, and creating self-organizing neuromuscular junction models from human stem cells. His work bridges molecular engineering, electrophysiology, and disease modeling to address fundamental questions in neural communication.

Recent publications reveal a clear trajectory toward increasingly sophisticated optogenetic tools with enhanced spatiotemporal precision. His 2022-2025 work demonstrates progression from foundational presynaptic optogenetics (2022) to asymmetric plasticity discovery (2025), with critical intermediate advances in calcium signaling (2022), stem cell-based disease models (2023), and high-throughput screening systems (2024). This evolution highlights his interdisciplinary approach combining biophysics, stem cell biology, and circuit neuroscience.

Dr. Rost operates within Prof. Dietmar Schmitz's laboratory at Charité's Institute of Neurophysiology, leveraging SFB 1315 resources for memory engram research. His team employs advanced techniques including patch-clamp electrophysiology, stem cell differentiation protocols, and custom-built optogenetic hardware like the RainbowCap illumination system for microplate-based assays.