Biography:Shannon Turley
Shannon Turley | |
|---|---|
| Born | Shannon Jennifer Turley |
| Alma mater | University of California, San Diego Yale University |
| Awards | Member of the National Academy of Sciences (2025) |
| Scientific career | |
| Institutions | Genentech Harvard Medical School Joslin Diabetes Center Genentech |
| Thesis | Dynamics of the MHC class II pathway in developing dendritic cells (1999) |
| Doctoral advisor | Ira Mellman |
| Website | {{{1}}} |
Shannon Jennifer Turley is an American biologist who is an Immunology Fellow at Genentech.[1] She develops immunotherapies for inflammatory diseases and cancers. She was elected member of the National Academy of Sciences in 2025.[2]
Early life and education
Turley was born and raised in Chicago.[3] She spent a summer at the Shedd Aquarium, where she took part in a research cruise off the Florida Keys. She said that she fell in love with the idea of being a scientist.[3] Her journey into science began at the University of California, San Diego, where she specialized in human biology and completed a placement at Scripps Research working with Jonathan Sprent.[3] Whilst working as a technician at Scripps, Turley published her first paper on mouse ribosomal proteins at the age of 22.[4] She was a doctoral student at Yale University, where she worked on dendritic cells with Ira Mellman.[5][6]
Research and career
Turley spent a year teaching at Bowdoin College, but despite enjoying teaching, missed basic research.[3] Turley joined the Joslin Diabetes Center for her postdoctoral research.[3] In 2004, Turley was appointed an Assistant Professor of Pathology at the Harvard Medical School.[7] She held a joint position with the Dana–Farber Cancer Institute, where she studied how immune responses were initiated.[7] She was promoted to Associate Professor in 2010, and specialized in stromal immunobiology.[8] She spent ten years at the Dana–Farber Cancer Institute before joining Genentech, having decided to develop immunotherapy that improves patient outcomes.[3] In 2017, she was awarded the Cancer Research Institute Frederick W. Alt Award.[9] Turley has described a new pathway to create tissue-specific tolerance by the presentation of ectopic antigens on lymph node stromal cells.[10]
At Genentech, Turley created a discovery program dedicated to the tumor microenvironment. She is particularly interested in the development of immunotherapies for patients with advanced cancers and inflammatory diseases.[8] Her research has transformed understanding of the cancer-immunity cycle, explaining the sequence through which tumors develop and exploring opportunities to develop targeted therapies.[3] The process begins with the release of cancer cell antigens due to cancer cell death. These antigens are then presented by dendritic cells or other antigen-presenting cells (APCs). This presentation leads to the priming and activation of APCs and T lymphocytes. Cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs) travel to the tumor sites, where they infiltrate the tumours and surrounding stroma. The T lymphocytes then recognize the tumor cells and ultimately kill them through immune cell activity. The immunotypes of different tumors are critical in modulating the T cell response. She has investigated the function of podoplanin in cancer.[11]
Selected publications
Awards and honors
Turley was awarded membership of the National Academy of Sciences in 2025.[2]
References
- ↑ "Shannon Turley: VP Sr Fellow Immunology & OMNI Biomarker Discovery, Cancer Immunology, Research Biology". https://www.gene.com/scientists/our-scientists/shannon-turley.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 "National Academy of Sciences Elects Members and International Members - NAS" (in en-US). https://www.nasonline.org/news/2025-nas-election/.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 Genentech. "Science with a Purpose" (in en-us). https://www.gene.com/stories/science-with-a-purpose.
- ↑ Turley, Shannon J.; Tan, Eng M.; Pollard, K. Michael (1993-10-19). "Molecular cloning and sequence analysis of U3 snoRNA-associated mouse fibrillarin". Biochimica et Biophysica Acta (BBA) - Gene Structure and Expression 1216 (1): 119–122. doi:10.1016/0167-4781(93)90046-G. ISSN 0167-4781. PMID 8218401. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/016747819390046G.
- ↑ Turley, Shannon Jennifer (1999). Dynamics of the MHC class II pathway in developing dendritic cells. yale.edu (PhD thesis). hdl:10079/bibid/9842521. ISBN 9780599310148. OCLC 80752065.
- ↑ "Student notes" (in en). https://medicine.yale.edu/news/yale-medicine-magazine/article/student-notes/.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 "Shannon Turley, PhD - Dana-Farber Cancer Institute | Boston, MA". https://www.dana-farber.org/find-a-doctor/shannon-turley.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 "Shannon Turley, PhD" (in en-US). Arthur and Sandra Irving Cancer Immunology Symposium. 2019-11-13. https://irvingcancerimmunologysymposium.com/faculty/shannon-turley-phd/.
- ↑ "Frederick W. Alt Award" (in en-US). Cancer Research Institute. https://www.cancerresearch.org/frederick-w-alt-award.
- ↑ Antigen Presentation by Lymph Node Stroma and Dendritic Cells. 2008-02-27. Retrieved 2025-05-14 – via videocast.nih.gov.
- ↑ , Wikidata Q28275310
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