Professor Nicholas C Turner

Professor Nicholas C Turner is a Consultant Medical Oncologist who specialises in the treatment of breast cancer. Professor Turner studied Natural Sciences at Cambridge University before qualifying in 1997 from the University of Oxford Medical School. After completing general medical training in London, they trained in medical oncology at Royal Free and University College Hospitals and completed a PhD at The Institute of Cancer Research in 2006.

Professor Turner is a renowned expert in translational breast cancer research. Their research involves analysing and validating new breast cancer therapies for different molecular subtypes of the disease. They have also helped pioneer and develop an innovative type of personalised blood test called a liquid biopsy.

Professor Turner has led several major clinical trials investigating the use of liquid biopsies, including plasmaMATCH and TRAK-ER. The plasmaMATCH trial reliably detected mutations found in tumour DNA that had been shed into the bloodstream of women with advanced breast cancer. Patients were then matched to targeted treatments according to the specific mutations in the tumour DNA. The TRAK-ER trial established a circulating tumour DNA surveillance programme for over 1,000 patients with ER-positive breast cancer who are currently receiving hormone therapy to reduce their risk of cancer returning.

Professor Turner is a highly respected figure in the field of oncology. They have been awarded multiple prizes for their research, including the AACR Outstanding Investigator Award for Breast Cancer Research, the AACR Team Science Award, the Pezcoller Foundation - EACR Translational Cancer Researcher Award, and the ESMO award for Translational Research.

Professor Turner is a fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences. They are also the Director of The Royal Marsden and ICR NIHR Biomedical Research Centre, and Director of Clinical Research at The Royal Marsden and ICR.