Rachel Tanner
Rachel Tanner is an immunologist working at the University of Oxford. She won the UK 'Women of the Future' Award for Science in 2019.
Research
Tanner researches tuberculosis with a focus on immune correlates of protection and the host immune response to TB vaccination. She has worked extensively on in vitro functional assays for vaccine testing to reduce the number of animals used in 'challenge' or infection experiments, and has led an NC3Rs funded project to transfer one such assay internationally. Her research interests also include the specific and non-specific effects of the BCG vaccine across different populations, and development of a vaccine against Mycobacterium bovis in cattle. Initial research was on HIV vaccines with the Centre for HIV-AIDS Vaccine Immunology at the Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, University of Oxford, but since her work has moved to TB. From 2010-2022, Tanner worked at the Jenner Institute, during which she received a VALIDATE Fellowship. She is now an Associate Professor in One Health at the Department of Biology.In 2020, Tanner was part of the Oxford COVID-19 Vaccine Trial Group which developed and tested the safety and efficacy of the ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 vaccine against SARS-CoV-2. She appeared working on this vaccine in the documentary film Life in a Day 2020, which was directed by Kevin MacDonald and premiered at the Sundance Film Festival.
Awards
- AAALAC International Global 3Rs Award 2021
- University of Oxford Divisional Teaching Excellence Award 2021
- Life Sciences Editors JEDI Award 2021
- Women of the Future Award for Science 2019
- Tuberculosis Vaccine Initiative Young Scientist Award 2017