Matthias Garten

Matthias Garten is an Assistant Professor in the departments of Immunology and Microbiology and Bioengineering at Stanford University. His research focuses on membrane biophysics and the interaction between malaria parasites and host red blood cells. He employs biomimetic models like giant liposomes and planar lipid membranes to investigate transport mechanisms and biophysical principles underlying parasitism.

Dr. Garten holds a physics master's degree from Dresden University of Technology (Germany) and a PhD in life sciences from University Paris Diderot (France). His postdoctoral work at the NIH under Dr. Joshua Zimmerberg explored malaria parasite biology, uncovering structure-function relationships in host-parasite interfaces.

His lab, the Parasite Biophysics Laboratory, seeks to exploit parasite mechanisms for biomedical applications, such as engineering host cells or developing anti-malaria therapies. Research combines quantitative microscopy and electrophysiology to study ion, lipid, and protein transport between malaria parasites and host cells.

Recent work highlights studies on pH modulation during parasite egress, membrane contact sites for lipid exchange, and the role of proteins like EXP2 in nutrient transport. These findings advance understanding of malaria pathogenesis and open avenues for translational research.