Rachel Tanner

Postdoctoral Research Scientist, Jenner Institute, University of Oxford

Rachel obtained an MA in Biological Sciences (Wadham College) and a DPhil in Clinical Medicine (St Cross College) from the University of Oxford. She is currently a Postdoctoral Research Scientist at the Jenner Institute and a Lecturer in Human Sciences at Wadham College. Rachel's research interests are the host immune response to tuberculosis vaccination and immune correlates of protection. Her DPhil focussed on the development of in vitro functional assays that may be applied in preclinical vaccine testing to reduce the number of animals used in challenge experiments, in line with the principles of the 3Rs (replacement, reduction and refinement of the use of animals in scientific procedures). Following this, she led the development of a non-human primate mycobacterial growth inhibition assay (MGIA), and a work-package subgroup on assay harmonisation as part of the European Research Infrastructures for Poverty Related Diseases (EURIPRED). Rachel currently holds a UKRI-funded VALIDATE Fellowship to characterise the humoral immune response to BCG vaccination to inform the design of improved TB vaccines.