Professor Bernhard Gibbs

I recently joined CCCU as Professor of Biomedical Science and have extensive research experience in the field of immunology, especially in regard to allergies, autoimmune diseases and cancer. 

Additionally, I am an außerplanmäßiger Professor of Experimental Allergology at the University of Lübeck, Germany (unpaid secondary affiliation).

I obtained my first degree in Medicinal Chemistry at University College London, where I also completed my PhD focussing on mast cell biology. This then developed into a lifelong interest in understanding the role of mast cells and basophils in allergic inflammation and anaphylactic shock.

My previous academic posts include 18 years in Germany, where I obtained my Habilitation and Venia Legendi (academic teaching license) at the University of Lübeck, and 11 years in the UK at the University of Kent, where I was Senior Tutor and Chair of the Staff Student Liaison Committee.

I have a passionate interest in understanding the cellular mechanisms and mediators which govern the severity of allergic reactions as well as in how cancer cells evade immune defences.

My goal is to contribute to a thriving, respectful and collaborative research environment at CCCU, facilitating collaborations with world-leading researchers and to discover new therapeutic targets for the future treatment of severe allergies and cancer.

I have over 20 years of experience in teaching Immunology at various levels for both BSc, MSc, and MPharm programmes. I have also taught advanced courses in Allergy to medical and PhD students.

In previous posts, I was module convenor for several courses both in the UK and in Germany.

My current main research focus is on understanding the biological roles and functions of basophils, which are a relatively rare type of white blood cell but appear to play a crucial role in governing the severity of allergic reactions.

Current projects involve understanding why individuals with allergies and the same degree of immunological sensitization to an allergen (e.g. peanut) react so differently, with some merely encountering mild symptoms, such as itch, while others develop life-threatening anaphylactic shock. Together with colleagues at Imperial College London, we are investigating what controls the reactivity of basophils in terms of stimulatory and inhibitory intracellular signalling pathways, which could be modulated therapeutically.

A further research interest is in understanding cancer immune evasion mechanisms. This research, done in collaboration with my former colleagues at the Medway School of Pharmacy, has led to several high-impact publications and an international patent for a diagnostic for acute myeloid leukaemia.

I am Associate Editor for the journal Inflammation Research and am an active member of the following societies: European Mast Cell and Basophil Research Network (EMBRN); Vice-president (2013 - 2022), Collegium Internationale Allergologicum (CIA), Deutsche Gesellschaft für Allergologie und klinische Immunologie (DGAKI), European Histamine Research Society (EHRS)