Sophie Hambleton

Sophie Hambleton is a British physician who is Professor of Paediatrics and Immunology at Newcastle University. She is a clinical paediatric immunologist at the Great North Children's Hospital, which specialises in treating children with immunodeficiencies. Hambleton looks to understand the cellular and molecular basis of immune system errors. She was elected a Fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences in 2020.

Early life and education
Hambleton grew up in North West England. She studied medicine at Oxford, before training in paediatric immunology and laboratory science in the United Kingdom and United States. She was made a Consultant in Paediatric Immunology at Great North Children's Hospital in 2008.

Research and career
Hambleton is a clinical physician who cares for children with inherited immunodeficiencies, many of which can be cured through bone marrow transplants. She was made a Pr Her studies of immunodeficiency use DNA sequencing methods to better understand the human immune system, identify any erroneous genes and provide genetic therapies or inform patient care. Young people who suffer from severe infections can suffer from weakened immune systems due to errors in their genes. It can cause chronic infections and lung damage, as well as stunting children's growth, triggering autoimmune disease and blood cancers. Hambleton has focussed on susceptibility to intracellular pathogens, and uncovered that defective type I interferon signalling can cause viral susceptibility, complex autoimmunity and immunodeficiency. Hambleton leads the Genomics England Clinical Interpretation Partnership.

In 2020 Hambleton was elected Fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences.

Personal life
Hambleton has two children, both of whom attended Royal Grammar School.