Professor Peter Gibson

Professor Peter Gibson | HMRI Respiratory Researcher
Scholarship
2014 Scholarship
Project Grant
2014 Project Grant
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2013 Project Grant
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2013 Scholarship
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2011 Project Grant
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2011 Project Grant
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2011 Project Grant
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2009 Project Grant
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2009 Project Grant
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2008 Project Grant
Scholarship
2008 Scholarship
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2008 Project Grant
Fellowship
2008 Fellowship
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2007 Project Grant
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2005 Project Grant
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2005 Project Grant
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2004 Project Grant
Fellowship
2004 Fellowship
HMRI Award for Research Excellence
2003 HMRI Award for Research Excellence
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2003 Project Grant
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2003 Project Grant
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2001 Project Grant
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2000 Project Grant

What are your research interests?

  • How to identify and treat new types of asthma
  • How to design and deliver targeted treatments for people with breathing disorders
  • The role of non-pharmalogical treatments, addressing nutrition, lifestyle and speech pathology treatments and how they can be effective for breathing disorders

Targeted therapy is of particular interest where we are trying to dissect out what’s special about an individual with asthma, how we can recognise that with biomarkers, develop a treatment that’s targeted at that particular asthma and roll out treatments into clinical practice.

Why did you get into respiratory research?

My interest in respiratory research evolved through the patients that I saw during my medical training and the professors and doctors I had as my role models in Newcastle where I was training. I developed an interest in understanding asthma when I was seeing a lot of patients in hospital with asthma and trying to work out why they were getting sick and what we could do to help them.

Biography

Professor Peter Gibson is a respiratory physician, clinical researcher and Co-Director of the HMRI Viruses, Infections/Immunity, Viruses and Asthma research program as well as Co-Director of the University of Newcastle’s Priority Research Centre (PRC) for Asthma and Respiratory Diseases. 

He is also the current President of the Thoracic Society of Australia and New Zealand.

Throughout his career working at the clinical interface as a respiratory physician at the John Hunter Hospital, Professor Gibson has been able to inform his research into improving treatment regimens and management strategies for asthma and airway disease.

Professor Gibson and his team are working to improve the management of asthma in pregnancy to better diagnose and optimise the use of effective treatments in pregnant women who may be otherwise reluctant to treat their asthma during pregnancy. He is also working to develop an accurate blood test to diagnose asthma separately and distinctly from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). These are clinically difficult to distinguish and require very different treatments. 

Another major aspect of Professor Gibson’s research is to develop a new treatment for non-eosinophilic asthma with macrolide antibiotics. Eosinophils are a form of white blood cells in the immune system which are thought to exacerbate respiratory inflammation when expressed in excess in conditions such as asthma. This five-year, $2.9 million study is trialing an antibiotic on approximately 400 people in four cities and is the biggest study into non-eosinophilic asthma in the world. It is funded by the National Health and Medical Research Council.

Professor Gibson has published more than 400 peer reviewed original research articles in high ranking journals and has presented at over 250 national and international conferences.

Specialised / Technical Skills

  • Clinical trials
  • Clinical treatment
  • Asthma models
  • Targeted therapies
  • Non-pharmalogical treatments

Affiliations

2014

Predicting who is at risk of worsening lung disease in Cystic Fibrosis
Project Grant
Description:

An acute exacerbation (also known as infection) is a critical event for a CF patient.  

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The role of comorbidities and inflammation in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD)
Scholarship
Researchers:

2013

Immunometabolism In Obese Asthmatics
Scholarship
Description:

Project investigating the developmental influence of immunometabolism in obese asthmatics. Obesity is associated with increased incifence, prevalence and severity of asthma across all age groups.

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Inflammometry-based management of asthma in pregnancy for the prevention of preterm birth: the iMAP study
Project Grant
Researchers:
Description:

Clinical trial renamed to "The Breathing for Life Trial (BLT): A randomised trial of fractional exhaled nitric oxide based management of asthma during pregnancy and its impact on perinatal outcomes and infant and childhood respiratory health."

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2011

Fatty acids, Carbohydrates and Bronchodilator Responses in Asthma - HMRI Foundation Chairmans Grant
Project Grant
The Growing into Asthma Study: Wheezing prevalance and markers of airways inflammation in preschoolers born to mothers in asthma exacerbations in pregnancy
Project Grant
Researchers:

Professor Joerg MattesProfessor Peter Gibson, Professor M.Hensley, Associate Professor B.Whitehead, Dr Vanessa Murphy

Phenotype based management of severe persistent asthma
Project Grant

2009

Intergrated Problem Based Management of Obstructive Airways Disease in Older people.
Project Grant
Researchers:
The role of Gabapentin in the treatment of refractory chromic dry cough: A ramdomised double-blind placebo-controlled study - PhD Topup.
Project Grant
Researchers:

2008

Molecular mechanisms and treatment of non-eosinphilic asthma.
Fellowship
Understanding Non-eosinophilic Asthma: Triggers and Treatment
Project Grant
Exploring the link between obesity and asthma
Scholarship
Description:

Student is Hayley Scott.

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Trans Fatty acids and airway inflammation
Project Grant

2007

The effects of passive smoking on children with asthma
Project Grant
Researchers:

Professor Peter Gibson, Dr BJ Whitehead, Professor M Hensley
 

2005

Chlamydia infection of dendritic cells drives the development of pro-asthmatic Th2 cells
Project Grant
Researchers:

Associate Professor Ken Beagley, Professor Paul Foster, Dr Phil Hansbro and Professor Peter Gibson
 

Airway inflammation in childhood asthma
Project Grant
Researchers:

Professor Peter Gibson, Dr B Whitehead, Professor M Hensley
 

2004

Post Doctoral Research Fellowship in Respiratory Medicine
Fellowship
Evaluation of a stepwise approach to multidisciplinary management of chronic cough: medical and behavioural treatment
Project Grant

2003

Inflammatory mechanisms in non-eosinophilic asthma (Tomago money $20000 - MONEY IN)
Project Grant
Researchers:
Treatment of asthma by vaccination with bacterial antigens
Project Grant
Researchers:

Dr Philip HansbroAssociate Professor Peter Gibson, Associate Professor Ken Beagley

Award for Research Excellence - Peter Gibson
HMRI Award for Research Excellence
Researchers:

2001

Oxidative stress and antioxidant defences in asthmatic airways in relation to disease severity
Project Grant

2000

To characterise the effect of rhinoviral infection in children ages 7-16 years with an acute exacerbation of asthma requiring admission to hospital
Project Grant
Researchers:

Dr P Jones, Dr Darren Shafren and Dr Peter Gibson