Research focus: Stem cells for modelling and correcting blinding diseases 

Professor Pébay obtained her PhD in Neurosciences from the University of Paris VI in 2001 and subsequently joined Professor Martin Pera at Monash University to undertake research on human embryonic stem cells (hESC). She then continued her research in this area at the University of Melbourne where she commenced in 2007. Since 2012, Associate Professor Pébay has been appointed to both the Centre for Eye Research Australia and The University of Melbourne.

Professor Pébay is the primary inventor of three international patents related to stem cell technology. She has published 28 peer-review articles and book chapters in the last five years and is on the editorial board of four international stem cell journals. Associate Professor Pébay established the first animal-free and chemically-defined culture medium for the growth of hESC and is now a recognized expert in the field of pluripotent stem cell biology.

More specifically, Professor Pébay heads research projects on the identification of signaling mechanisms involved in the maintenance of pluripotency, neural differentiation and more recently cardiac and ocular differentiation of pluripotent stem cells and diseased iPSC. Her long-term research goal is the establishment of well characterized and efficient protocols for maintenance and differentiation of pluripotent stem cells, suitable for drug screening and potentially transplantation.

Professor Pébay will contribute to different aspects of the Stem Cells Australia initiative by leading specific research projects within the study of pluripotent stem cell maintenance and differentiation. Professor Pébay has extensive knowledge and technical skills in all aspects of stem cell biology. She will provide intellectual input to the design, analysis and interpretation of experiments as well as necessary expertise to the study of hESC and iPSC. She will also ensure dissemination of the findings.