About
Sue Gibbs is professor in Skin and Mucosa Regenerative Medicine. She is PI at the Department of Molecular Cell Biology & Immunology and also in the Department of Oral Cell Biology, ACTA. Her entire career has focused on animal alternative methods, in particular in developing human healthy and disease models drug discovery, pre-clinical studies and safety testing. She combines cutting-edge research in cell biology and immunology with advances in tissue engineering. Current focus lies with developing next generation immune competent tissue engineered constructs to investigate the (patho)physiology of adverse scar formation and to investigate similarities and differences between tolerance, allergic and irritant contact dermatitis with the aim of identifying novel drug targets for personalized as well as general therapeutic strategies. Recently, her research has extended into the field of hair follicles and importantly ‘’organ-on-a-chip’’, in particular immune competent skin-, gingiva-, gut,- lymph node- and melanoma- “on-chip”. Sue Gibbs was awarded numerous grants from EU, NWO, TTW, Dutch Burns foundation, in collaboration with partners from industry.
Research Line
Our aim is to develop the next generation immune competent human skin models which closely represent healthy and diseased skin, thus providing a platform for safety and efficacy testing of drugs and consumer products which come into contact with our skin. Our focus is on fibrosis, cancer, allergy and tolerance. Cell types which can currently be built into our organotypic models include epithelial cells (keratinocytes, melanocytes, Langerhans cells, melanoma), dermal cells (fibroblasts, myofibroblasts, blood and lymph vessel endothelial cells, dendritic cells, monocytes, macrophages) and adipose tissue cells (mesenchymal stromal cells, adipocytes and endothelial cells). These models are being incorporated into micro-physiological bioreactors, ‘’organ-on-a-chip’’, to create immune competent skin-, gingiva-, gut,- lymph node- and melanoma- “on-chip”.
Research is aimed at identifying the mechanisms involved in skin and oral soft tissue homeostasis and inflammation. Examples of our research questions include: why does a deep skin wound heal with a bad scar formation whilst oral wounds heal with relatively little scar? Is this to do with intrinsic properties of the cells or is this due to extrinsic factors e.g.: saliva, microbiome? With the aid of normal skin / gingival equivalents, and in vitro hypertrophic scar and keloid scar equivalents the mechanisms of scar formation can be investigated. Another major research question is: why does first contact with an allergen (e.g. Nickel) via the skin often result in sensitization whereas first contact via the mouth with the same allergen results in tolerance? With the aid of skin and gingival equivalents containing integrated Langerhans Cells, innate and adaptive mechanisms involved in sensitization versus tolerance and pathogen infection are being investigated.
Key publications
- Jäger J, Berger P, Morrison AI, Erfurth H, Thon M, Dehne EM, Gibbs S, Koning JJ. A Sacrificial 3D Printed Vessel-on-Chip Demonstrates a Versatile Approach to Model Granulation Tissue. Adv Healthc Mater. 2025. doi: 10.1002/adhm.202503081.
- Jäger, J., M. Thon, K. Schimek, U. Marx, S. Gibbs and J. J. Koning (2025). “Differential biomarker expression of blood and lymphatic vasculature in multi-organ-chips.” Sci Rep 15(1): 14492.
- Koning JJ, Rodrigues Neves CT, K Schimek K, Thon T, Spiekstra SW, Waaijman T, de Gruijl T, Gibbs S. A Multi-Organ-on-Chip Approach to Investigate How Oral Exposure to Metals Can Cause Systemic Toxicity Leading to Langerhans Cell Activation in Skin. Front Toxicol. 2022. 15;3:824825.
- Michielon E, López González M, Stolk DA, Stolwijk JGC, Roffel S, Waaijman T, Lougheed SM, de Gruijl TD, Gibbs S.A Reconstructed Human Melanoma-in-Skin Model to Study Immune Modulatory and Angiogenic Mechanisms Facilitating Initial Melanoma Growth and Invasion. Cancers (Basel). 2023 May 20;15(10):2849. doi: 10.3390/cancers15102849
- Shang L, Deng D, Buskemolen JK, Roffel S, Janus MM, Krom B, Crielaard W, Gibbs S. Commensal and Pathogenic Biofilms Alter Toll-Like Receptor Signaling in Reconstructed Human Gingiva. Front Cell Infect Microbiol. 2019 Aug 7;9:282. doi: 10.3389/fcimb.2019.00282. eCollection 201
Group members
H. Ibrahim Korkmaz, PhD
Postdoctoral researcher
Treating patients with severe burns and understanding the mechanisms involved, which can lead to improved treatment strategies, is very complex. The aim of my project is the development, optimization and standardization of a 3D (printed) reconstructed human skin model for burn wound healing.
Moreover, I am working on a totally new approach which is complementary to organotypic skin models which are used to investigate wound healing and fibrosis: it is a systems biology approach to understanding burn wound healing.
Jasper Koning, PhD
Postdoctoral researcher
My works focuses on developing complex in vitro human metabolically and immune competent skin model connected to microfluidics vasculature in a skin on a chip format. This model can be used for experimental research, testing of compounds as well as drug discovery.
Lisa Lee Bruske, MSc
PhD student
Chrysiida Baltira, PhD
Postdoctoral researcher
Joey Karregat, MSc
PhD student
Britt van der Leeden, MSc
PhD student
Maria Thon, Ing
senior research technician
My expertise is in culturing reconstructed human skin models for many different research questions. I am specialized in skin, hair, endothelial cell, adipose tissue isolation and culture. Detection techniques: IHC (also fluorescence), ELISA , WB, qPCR. I have experience with good laboratory practice (GLP), cleanroom production (GMP) of skin constructs for chronic wounds and burns, METC and Kwaliteitsnet. Currently I am working on the NextSkin project.
Sander W. Spiekstra, BSc
Operator / Senior technician
My entire career has focussed on the refinement and replacement of animal models to perform risk assessment on chemicals which may potentially cause an irritant or allergenic reaction in skin. The immune defence system of the skin has my greatest interest . As operator and specialist in the culturing of 3D immunocompetent skin equivalents with Langerhans Cells and Dendritic Cells, i am responsible for theoretical and technical assistance in these research lines . As one of the operators of the Attune flow cytometer and member of MCCF (microscopy and flow facility) i am happy to assist with flow cytometry experiments on this machine. (3D) Tissue culturing, Microscopy (light and fluorescence), Flow cytometry, RT-PCR (RNA profiling), protein arrays , Elisa, are techniques i use for my research. I am the “business information manager” for the statistical analysis program Graphpad. I am more than average trained to answer statistical questions. I serve as a contact person between the polyclinic Dermatology / Allergology in the location AMC and am trained in performing contract research for industrial partners. Also the maintenance of laboratory devices is one of my tasks in the lab.
Sanne Roffel, Ing
Research technician
I’m a research technician so have been working on a lot of different projects and still do.
Have a lot experience in culturing reconstructed human skin and gingiva models. These models are made with primary cells as well as with cell lines (ML II lab). These models are used for a wide spectrum of experiments. Like, wound healing questions properties, chemical exposures, implant attachment etc.
To analyze the cultures I can use a lot of different techniques like, IHC (also Fluorescence), hard tissue embedding, FISH, ELISA, FACS and PCR. But also have some knowledge of the analytical techniques: HPLC and CE.
Joline Boogaard, MSc
Research technician
Taco Waaijman, MSc
Research technician
My research focus on culturing of different kind of 3D skin- and gingiva-models, in combination with Organon-a-chip systems.
Other PI's
Febe van Maldegem
Gijs Kooij
Elga de Vries
Sandra van Vliet
Reina Mebius
Yvette van Kooyk
Jack van Horssen
Joke den Haan
Juan J. Garcia Vallejo
