Rate My Professor Estelle Peyroux

Dr. Estelle Peyroux is a Senior Teaching Fellow in the Department of Pathology and Molecular Medicine at the University of Otago's Dunedin School of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine. She also holds a Postdoctoral Fellow position in the department. Peyroux completed her Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) at the University of Otago in 2023, with a thesis entitled "Investigating the effects of hypoxia on dendritic cell responses to gut bacteria in ankylosing spondylitis." This work examined how hypoxic conditions influence dendritic cell interactions with gut microbiota, contributing to understanding immune dysregulation in ankylosing spondylitis.

Peyroux's research interests center on immunology and rheumatology, specifically autophagy dysregulation in axial spondyloarthritis, the effects of disease activity and hypoxia on immune responses to gut bacteria in ankylosing spondylitis, and hypoxia's impact on dendritic cell responses to gut bacteria. Her expertise includes dendritic cell responses, hypoxia effects on immune responses, and gut bacteria's role in ankylosing spondylitis. In 2025, she received a $72,796 grant from Arthritis New Zealand Mateponapona Aotearoa to investigate immune dysfunction in axial spondyloarthritis among young adults, with a focus on Māori and Pasifika health equity. Key publications include Shields, N. J., Peyroux, E. M., et al. (2022). "Calpains released from necrotic tumor cells enhance antigen cross-presentation to activate CD8+ T cells in vitro." Journal of Immunology, 209(9), 1635-1651; Shields, N. J., Peyroux, E. M., et al. (2023). "Late-stage MC38 tumours recapitulate features of human colorectal cancer: Implications for appropriate timepoint selection in preclinical studies." Frontiers in Immunology, 14, 1152035; Peyroux, E., & Stebbings, S. (2024). "Investigating the effects of disease activity and hypoxia on immune responses to gut bacteria in ankylosing spondylitis." Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases, 83(Suppl. 1), AB0977; and Peyroux, E. (2024). "Autophagy dysregulation: Driving high disease activity in axial spondyloarthritis?" International Journal of Rheumatic Diseases, 27(Suppl. 2), O17. She co-convenes the MELS304 Principles of Pathology course, drawing teaching contributions from Pathology, Biochemistry, and other departments.