Isabella Helen Mary Muir CBE. 20 August 1920—28 November 2005

Helen Muir was a leader in British biomedical research over many years. She trained as a chemist at Oxford and, having started her research on the structure of penicillin, she moved progressively into biomedical research. Helen's major achievements were in research on joint diseases, particularly osteoarthritis, which affects 8 million sufferers in the UK. She identified the molecular basis of the key load-bearing properties of cartilage in our joints and helped to establish that osteoarthritis was driven by active processes and not just wear and tear. This revolutionized research approaches at the time and the consequences are important to this day. Her careful research analysis laid the foundation for molecular cellular research approaches to degenerative joint diseases. She was Division Head and then Director at the Kennedy Institute for Rheumatology in Hammersmith, London. Helen was highly regarded and was appointed the first woman member of the Medical Research Council and later a Trustee of the Wellcome Trust. She was respected for her opinions, which she expressed in a forthright manner. She was very much without prejudice and judged people on their merits. She could not stand pomposity and, although she became a grand lady, she always had a wry sense of humour and liked a good laugh.