Meet the Researcher

Mr Stephen Schibeci

The Westmead Institute for Medical Research, NSW

mr-stephen-schibeci
Current Research Project/s
Previous Research Project

About Mr Stephen Schibeci

Let's get started! Tell us an interesting fact about yourself.
I will have been working in research for 36 years in April 2020.
What inspired you to get involved in MS research?
I have worked in immunology-based projects all my working life. The genetics of MS has been worked out, but the immunological consequences of the genetics now need to be understood.
What do you think has been the most exciting development in MS research?
The potential in the near future to be able to tailor therapies to an individual to not only minimise side-effects, but will enable the development of treatments to reverse demyelination events.
Why is your research important and how will it influence the understanding and treatment of MS?
Most people who have MS have had an EBV infection, but not everyone who has had an EBV infection gets MS. How EBV infection and MS are linked will establish how MS begins and develops. Such a link will expose therapeutic targets to ameliorate symptoms and will inform a vaccination strategy against EBV beginning in childhood that has the potential to eradicate MS.
What do you enjoy most about working in the lab and what are some of the challenges you face?
I enjoy working in the lab because it is a very routine process, but every now and then you find something in an experiment that makes you think, “That’s funny!” and may lead to finding out something that no-one has found before. The challenges are part of the enjoyment! Finding out better ways to do things, keeping within budgetary constraints, keeping enthusiastic when experiments don’t go as planned.
Read More

Newsletter subscription

  • Enter your details

Stephen Schibeci