Julian Tanner

Julian's research field is chemical biology, with a particular focus on directed nucleic acid evolution for translational biomedical application. The Tanner lab brings together interdisciplinary experimental approaches at the interface of biomedical science, chemistry and engineering to tackle major medical challenges. His highly collaborative research team is developing new technologies for biosensing, diagnostics and therapeutics in a variety of contexts, including point-of-care malaria diagnostics and continuous hormone sensing for reproductive disorders. The team is also investigating the interface of aptamers and DNA nanotechnology through design of triggers of conformational change at the nanoscale. In more basic research, his team is exploring the biological functions of the fundamental yet enigmatic long-chain inorganic polyphosphates. Julian also has experience in educational research, with particular interest in how to build the best environment for research excellence and student achievement at the nexus between research, teaching and innovation.

The team has published widely in leading journals including Nature Communications, PNAS, Angewandte Chemie, Biosensors & Bioelectronics, Advanced Biosystems and Analytical Chemistry. Julian also co-authored a leading textbook of Chemical Biology published by Wiley.

Research Interests

• Chemical Biology
• Directed Nucleic Acid Evolution for Biomedical Application
• Nucleic Acid Nanotechnology