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Fluorescence microscopy of branching Purkinje neurons, glowing gold against a dark background

Virology / Proteomics / Neurotropism

Stanford, California

Postdoctoral Fellow · Stanford University

Alejandro
Matía, PhD

Systems virology &
viral neurotropism

Proteomics, Transcriptomics & Computational approaches.
Research questions
Purkinje neurons
Fluorescence microscopy · NIAAA / NIH
01 / 06
Research across disciplines.
Collaboration across institutions.
Stanford UniversityCZ BIOHUBSAN FRANCISCO

Biography &
research questions

BIOGRAPHY

I am a CZ Biohub Collaborative Postdoctoral Fellow working jointly with the Huttenhain lab at Stanford University and the Arias Group at the Chan Zuckerberg Biohub San Francisco.

My research focuses on the molecular mechanisms of viral neurotropism and their consequences for host cells. I combine molecular virology, proteomics, CRISPR genetic screens, single-cell transcriptomics, and computational analysis to study how viruses enter and alter neurons.

I conducted my doctoral research at the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), where I used multi-omic approaches to study poxvirus–host interactions.

RESEARCH QUESTIONS

  1. What determines viral neurotropism?

    Molecular mechanisms of viral entry into neurons and other central nervous system cells, and the cellular damage associated with infection.

  2. How does infection reshape host cells?

    Proteomic profiling and multi-omics integration to map changes in cellular states and host pathways.

  3. What can computational models reveal about virus–host interactions?

    Computational approaches to identify vulnerable host pathways and generate experimentally testable hypotheses.

032024
bioRxiv preprint

Spatio-temporal analysis of Vaccinia virus infection and host response dynamics using single-cell transcriptomics and proteomics

Matia, A., McCarthy, F., Woosley, H., Turon-Lagot, V., Platzer, S. W., Liu, J., Lorenzo, M. M., Borja, M., Shetty, K., Winkler, J., Elias, J. E., Blasco, R., Arias, C., Hein, M. Y.

About this work +

A systems-level study of Vaccinia virus infection dynamics that combines single-cell transcriptomics with proteomics to resolve how host responses evolve across infection.

Spatio-temporal analysis publication image
052023
Vaccines

Vaccinia Virus Strain MVA Expressing a Prefusion-Stabilized SARS-CoV-2 Spike Glycoprotein Induces Robust Protection and Prevents Brain Infection in Mouse and Hamster Models

Lorenzo, M. M., Marín-López, A., Chiem, K., Jimenez-Cabello, L., Ullah, I., Utrilla-Trigo, S., Calvo-Pinilla, E., Lorenzo, G., Moreno, S., Ye, C., Park, J. G., Matía, A., Brun, A., Sánchez-Puig, J. M., Nogales, A., Mothes, W., Uchil, P. D., Kumar, P., Ortego, J., Fikrig, E., Martinez-Sobrido, L., Blasco, R.

About this work +

Preclinical vaccine study showing robust protection with an MVA platform expressing a prefusion-stabilized SARS-CoV-2 spike, including prevention of detectable brain infection in mice.

Vaccine publication image

Research experience
& education

Research experience

11/2024 – 11/2026

Collaborative Postdoctoral Fellow – Arias Group and Ruth Huttenhain lab

CZ Biohub and Stanford University, CA, USA

11/2023 – 10/2024

Postdoctoral researcher – Ruth Huttenhain lab

Stanford University, CA, USA

07/2023 – 09/2023

Postdoctoral researcher – Rafael Blasco Lab

INIA-CSIC, Madrid, Spain

09/2019 – 07/2023

Predoctoral researcher (PhD Student) – Rafael Blasco Lab

INIA-CSIC, Madrid, Spain

07/2022 – 11/2022

Visiting Scientist – Carolina Arias Lab

Chan Zuckerberg Biohub, San Francisco, CA, USA

01/2018 – 06/2018

Master’s Thesis – Andrés de la Escosura Lab

Dept. Organic Chemistry, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Spain

06/2015 – 06/2016

Student Internship – José Ruiz Castón Lab

National Center for Biotechnology – CSIC, Madrid, Spain

Education

09/2019 – 09/2023

PhD in Microbiology (Virology), summa cum laude

Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Madrid, Spain

06/2021 – 06/2022

Diploma in Bioinformatics

Universidad Pablo de Olavide, Sevilla, Spain

09/2017 – 06/2018

Masters in Biotechnology

Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Madrid, Spain

09/2012 – 06/2017

Bachelor of Science in Biology

Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Madrid, Spain

  1. 2026 Stanford Synthetic Biology Postdoctoral Support — Grant
  2. 2026 Beckman Center for Molecular and Genetic Medicine Travel Award
  3. 2026 ASV Conference Travel Award
  4. 2026 Stanford BioX Travel Award
  5. 2024 Chan Zuckerberg Biohub Collaborative Postdoctoral Fellowship
  6. 2019 Predoctoral Research Fellowship (FPI), Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation
  7. 2018 Academic Excellence Scholarship, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid

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