Professor Rachel Tanner, Tutorial Fellow in Biology, has been appointed Visiting Professor at the Prince of Songkla University in Thailand, where she will work in the laboratory of Dr Nawamin Pinpathomrat over the Summer.
Having previously completed DPhils at Oxford’s Jenner Institute, Rachel and Nawamin have overlapping research interests in the development of novel tuberculosis vaccines, and were both involved in the COVID-19 vaccine response. While Rachel worked on evaluating immunogenicity of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine in the first clinical trials in Oxford, Nawamin was 6,000 miles away in Hat Yai, studying fractional doses as a management strategy during shortages of vaccine supply, and comparing vaccine responses in patients with systemic autoimmune rheumatic diseases.
Rachel and Nawamin are now joining forces on a collaborative grant looking at susceptibility to TB in patients with the autoimmune disease systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and COVID-19.
Last term, Nawamin and his student Jomkwan Ongarj visited Oxford where, in addition to working on experiments in the lab, they joined us for college lunch and were guests of honor at the weekly St Hugh’s Biology Seminar. Nawamin shared his experience of running clinical trials in Thailand, as well as how he balanced studies with his love of cooking (he reached the Masterchef final in 2018) during his DPhil in Oxford. Biology MBiol students enjoyed a lively Q&A – although there were perhaps more questions about Masterchef than science!
Rachel said: “I’m delighted to have this opportunity to build on our research links with Thailand, and to explore new research directions with real impact for patients at risk of multiple morbidities.” We look forward to hearing about Rachel’s time at the Prince of Songkla University later in the year.
Dr Nawamin Pinpathomrat during his visit to Oxford