Elizabeth Tanner

Kathleen Elizabeth Tanner OBE FREng FRSE (born 20 March 1957) is the Bonfield Professor of Biomedical Materials at Queen Mary University of London. Her research focusses on developing materials with particular biological and mechanical properties for use medicine, particularly those used for bone replacement. Tanner developed HAPEX, a bone mineral composite biomaterial, which was used in over half a million middle ear transplants in the 1990s.[1]

Elizabeth Tanner

OBE FREng FRSE
Prof Elizabeth Tanner at the University of Glasgow graduation day
Born
Kathleen Elizabeth Tanner

Farnham, Surrey
NationalityBritish
Alma materUniversity of Oxford (PhD)
Scientific career
FieldsBiomedical Engineering
InstitutionsQueen Mary University of London University of Glasgow
ThesisThe Design of a Fracture Movement Transducer (1983)
Websitewww.gla.ac.uk/schools/engineering/staff/ktanner/

Tanner also developed Scotland's first undergraduate degree in biomedical engineering at the University of Glasgow, these degrees started in 2010.[2][3]

Education

After being encouraged by her school headmistress at Wycombe Abbey to pursue engineering,[4] Tanner attended Lady Margaret Hall at the University of Oxford where she completed a Bachelor degree in 1979, and then DPhil in Engineering Science within the Nuffield Orthopaedic Engineering Centre.[5] Tanner's PhD studied movement at fracture sites in patients with lower leg fractures.

Scientific career

In 1983 Tanner joined the Department of Materials at Queen Mary University of London. She was appointed Professor of Biomedical Materials in 1998. During this time, Tanner's research was focussed on materials for bone replacement and augmentation. From 1998 Tanner commenced a visiting professorship in biomechanics and biomaterials position at the Department of Orthopaedics, Lund University Hospital, Sweden where she held a Hedda Anderson Adjunct Professorship.[6] From 1998 to 2001, she was the Associate Director of the IRC in Biomedical Materials and was the Dean of Engineering from 1999 to 2000. Tanner joined the University of Glasgow in 2007 as Professor of Biomaterials.[7] In September 2018 she returned to Queen Mary University of London.

From 2016 Tanner led a two-year study funded by Action Medical Research to help babies with breathing difficulties by developing a biodegradable stent.[8] During her career, she has edited three books and published over 160 papers and chapters.[5][9]

HAPEX patent

One of the bone replacement materials developed by Tanner was used in middle ear transplants. This material is HAPEX, which is made of polyethylene polymers (plastic-like material) with bone-like ceramics as the filler phase.[10] This material has been used to restore hearing in patients since 1988.[11]

Honours and leadership roles

References
  1. "Professor Liz Tanner OBE". Royal Academy of Engineering. 2018. Retrieved 4 September 2018.
  2. "University of Glasgow – Schools – School of Engineering – Our staff – Prof K Elizabeth Tanner". University of Glasgow. Retrieved 12 June 2018.
  3. "Professor Kathleen Elizabeth Tanner OBE, FRSE, FREng". Royal Society of Edinburgh. Retrieved 4 September 2018.
  4. "I had a head mistress who wanted 'her girls' to do science and engineering: Meet Liz Tanner – SoapboxScience". SoapboxScience. 27 April 2015. Retrieved 12 June 2018.
  5. "A 'delightful surprise' for Action funded researcher Professor Elizabeth Tanner as she receives an OBE for services to biomedical engineering". Action Medical Research. Retrieved 13 June 2018.
  6. "Third Medical Research Scotland PhD Studentship". Collagen Solutions. Retrieved 13 June 2018.
  7. "Liz Tanner". International College of Fellows Biomaterials Science & Engineering. Retrieved 12 June 2018.
  8. "A 'delightful surprise' for Action funded researcher Professor Elizabeth Tanner as she receives an OBE for services to biomedical engineering". Action Medical Research. Retrieved 4 September 2018.
  9. "Combining medicine and engineering to develop biomedical materials that mimic the properties of bone to improve the lives of patients". Womanthology UK. 23 December 2015. Retrieved 4 September 2018.
  10. "Hydroxyapatite Composite Biomaterials – Evolution and Applications". AZoM.com. 23 October 2002. Retrieved 12 June 2018.
  11. "Professor Liz Tanner OBE". Royal Academy of Engineering. Retrieved 12 June 2018.
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