Professor Martin F. Pera is a pioneer and leading stem cell researcher with interests in neuroscience and regenerative medicine. His laboratory at Monash University was the second in the world to isolate embryonic stem cells from the human blastocyst, and the first to describe their differentiation into somatic cells in vitro. His work on neural differentiation of human pluripotent stem cells helped lead to the development of a new treatment for macular degeneration, which is now in clinical trials in Israel. Prof. Pera joined the Jackson Laboratory in 2017 where his research focuses on the biology and regulation of pluripotency and the genetic basis of individual differences in the response of the central nervous system to injury.