Dr Andrew Hibbert
PhD, FRMS, FHEA
Imaging Suite manager
Department: Comparative Biomedical Sciences
Campus: Camden
Research Centres: Imaging Suite
Andrew manages the “Imaging Suite” - the RVC's main microscopy facility, and is an enthusiastic creator and user of online tools as part of blended teaching approaches. He teaches most courses on the subjects of microscopy, histology and cell biology, inducts all users of our research-grade light microscopes and advises researchers throughout the College on using microscopy and image analysis within their research projects.
Andrew studied Natural Sciences (focusing on Neuroscience) at Cambridge University before carrying out his PhD studies at McGill University, Montréal. His PhD work, on the secretion, internalization and retrograde transport of neurotrophins, was carried out initially with Dr Richard Murphy and later with Drs David Kaplan and Freda Miller, based in both Montréal and Toronto. He subsequently worked at Cancer Research UK with Prof. Peter Parker studying the motility of Cancer cells, including carrying out a screen of over 800 genes for their role in cell motility. These projects all involved a substantial amount of microscopy and so together led to his current role running the RVC Imaging Suite.
Since joining the RVC his role has developed to include extensive teaching responsibilities, within which he particularly develops, uses and evaluates online teaching resources. He was awarded a Postgraduate Certificate in Veterinary Education with distinction in 2018 and is a fellow of both the Royal Microscopical Society and The Higher Education Academy.
Andrew does not carry out his own, independent research projects. Rather, he provides a service to all researchers in the College who need microscopy as part of their work. He does carry out collaborative work as a part of larger projects or to develop and validate techniques within the College, such as image analysis solutions or live imaging methodologies.
As a member of the technical staff, Andrew maintains the research equipment and associated computing infrastructure in the Imaging Suite. The equipment under his remit includes a confocal microscope, four fluorescence microscopes (including a rapid calcium imaging system) and two transmitted light microscopes.
Fortuna L, Relf J, Chang YM, Hibbert A, Martineau HM, Garden OA. Prevalence of FoxP3(+) Cells in Canine Tumours and Lymph Nodes Correlates Positively with Glucose Transporter 1 Expression. J Comp Pathol. 2016 Aug-Oct;155(2-3):171-80
Faulkner A, Purcell R, Hibbert A, Latham S, Thomson S, Hall WL, Wheeler-Jones C, Bishop-Bailey D. A thin layer angiogenesis assay: a modified basement matrix assay for assessment of endothelial cell differentiation. BMC Cell Biol. 2014 Dec 5;15:41
Horsley H, Malone-Lee J, Holland D, Tuz M, Hibbert A, Kelsey M, Kupelian A, Rohn JL. Enterococcus faecalis subverts and invades the host urothelium in patients with chronic urinary tract infection. PloS one 2013;8(12):e83637
Dawson HJ, Hibbert AP, Chantler PD, Botham KM. Myosin VI and Associated Proteins Are Expressed in Human Macrophages but Do Not Play a Role in Foam Cell Formation in THP-1 Cells. Int J Vasc Med. 2013;2013:516015.
Dakin SG, Werling D, Hibbert A, Abayasekara DR, Young NJ, Smith RK, Dudhia J. Macrophage sub-populations and the lipoxin A4 receptor implicate active inflammation during equine tendon repair. PLoS One. 2012;7(2):e32333.
Hibbert AP, Kramer BM, Miller FD, Kaplan DR The localization, trafficking and retrograde transport of BDNF bound to p75NTR in sympathetic neurons. Mol Cell Neurosci. 2006 Aug;32(4):387-402.
Hibbert AP, Morris SJ, Seidah NG, Murphy RA. 14. Neurotrophin-4, alone or heterodimerized with brain-derived neurotrophic factor, is sorted to the constitutive secretory pathway. J Biol Chem. 2003 Nov 28;278(48):48129-36.
Andrew provides technical and theoretical teaching to most students. This teaching includes introductory lectures and practical classes on the basics of histology, cell biology and microscopy for our undergraduates. He also provides training in the use of particular research microscopes as they are needed during the third year BSc research projects and RP2 students or by our post-graduate and post-doctoral researchers.
Both the histology and research microscope teaching make extensive use of online courses which Andrew developed and maintains. These include a digital histology system, allowing full navigation of digital versions of our teaching histology slides, large numbers of videos and use of many features of courses, lessons and quizzes within RVC Learn (Moodle).