Dr Christopher Turner
Senior Research Fellow
Future Industries Institute
Future Industries Institute
Christopher Turner B. Tech (Hons.) Ph. D is an academic researcher investigating skin inflammation, chronic disease, wound healing, drug development and drug delivery at the Future Industries Institute, University of South Australia.
Dr. Turner's research interests encompass inflammation, aging and chronic disease, with an emphasis on skin. There is a focus on investigating mechanisms of inflammaging (progressive increase in generalized inflammation as we age), tissue repair, fibrosis, itch, angiogenesis and the role of proteases in chronic inflammatory disease. Chris has a track record in the development and pre-clinical testing of novel therapeutic agents. Diseases of research interest include pressure ulcers, diabetes, aging, dermatitis, skin blisters, ischemia-reperfusion injury and burns. Current projects are investigating granzymes, a family of serine proteases involved in inflammatory responses, angiogenesis, fibrosis and tissue organization.
Chris returned to Australia in 2021 after 5 years at the University of British Columbia (UBC), Vancouver, Canada, after completing a Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) Fellowship. He received his Ph.D in Health Sciences at the University of Adelaide.
Dr Turner is an Associate Editor for the journal, Frontiers in Immunology, in the section 'Molecular Innate Immunity'.
Chris has received a number of awards and recognitions for his contributions to the research field; including Australasian Wound & Tissue Repair Society Young Investigator of the Year, twice awarded USA Wound Healing Society Young Investigator, Calgary Firefighters Award from the Skin Research Group of Canada, Dr. Robert Cowan Award from the University of British Columbia Plastics, Department of Surgery, and Bob Fraser New Investigator Award from The Matrix Biology Society of Australia and New Zealand. He was a finalist in the health category of The Australian Innovation Challenge. Training awards include a NHMRC Dora Lush Ph.D Scholarship, CIHR Research Fellowship, CIHR Institute of Aging Award, and CIHR IMPACT Strategic Training Program Award.
Awards
Skin Research Group of Canada, Annual Conference, Best Oral Presentation, Canada
Australasian Wound & Tissue Repair Society (AWTRS) Travel Award, Australia
BCRegMed Trainee Travel Award, Canada
Wound Healing Society (WHS) Young Investigator, USA: Identified as a top young investigator in the wound healing field
WHS Travel Award, USA
Skin Research Group of Canada Travel Award, Canada
WHS Travel Award, USA
WHS Young Investigator, USA: Identified as a top young investigator in the wound healing field
ICORD Trainee Travel Award, Canada
AWTRS Travel Award, Australia
AWTRS Young Investigator of the Year, Australia: In recognition of outstanding achievement by an early career researcher
Winner, ICORD Trainee Symposium, Best Senior Trainee Overall Presentation, UBC, Canada
AWTRS Travel Award, Australia
BCRegMed Trainee Travel Award, Canada
Dr. Robert Cowan Award for Best Scientific Paper, UBC Plastics Research Day, Vancouver, Canada
Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) - Institute of Aging Travel Award, UBC, Canada: CIHR equivalent to the NH&MRC and success rate < 7% across Canada. Funded research performed on granzymes role in pressure injury
WHS Travel Award, USA
American Society of Matrix Biology (ASMB) Travel Award, USA
ICORD Trainee Travel Award, UBC, Canada
Bob Fraser New Investigator Award, Australia: The Matrix Biology Society of Australia and New Zealand (MBSANZ) established this award to recognize and support early career development in the field of matrix biology
The Australian Innovation Challenge, Finalist, Health Category, Australia: The challenge highlights innovation and helps to create an opportunity to make a difference… shine a spotlight on the incredible ideas and creativity which drive this country and encourage collaboration between industry, government and community
AWTRS Travel Award, Australia
Research Grants
2025, Turner and Venn, DEBRA Australia ($35,000): Funded to investigate the role of immune-secreted proteases in epidermolysis bullosa
2024, Turner and Cowin, Epidermolysis Bullosa Research Partnership ($392,000): Funded to investigate the role of immune-secreted proteases in epidermolysis bullosa
2022, Turner and Cowin, DEBRA Australia ($35,000): Funded to investigate the role of immune-secreted proteases in epidermolysis bullosa
2021, STEM Equipment Grant, University of South Australia ($13,500)
2021, Granville and Turner, Mitacs Accelerate, UBC, Canada ($95,894): Funded to investigate the role of granzymes in radiation dermatitis
2021, Voelcker, Cowin, Turner and Fitridge, US Department of Defense (DoD) CDMRP, Monash and UniSA, Australia ($2,246,277): Therapeutic antibody delivery to chronic wounds with nanoparticles
2021, Granville and Turner, International Collaboration on Repair Discoveries (ICORD) Seed Grant, UBC, Canada ($16,346): Formulating novel antibiotic into a novel therapy for pressure injuries
2020, Granville and Turner, Eczema Society of Canada Research Grant Program, UBC, Canada ($27,243): A Novel Therapeutic Approach for Atopic Dermatitis
2020, Granville and Turner, ICORD Seed Grant, UBC, Canada ($21,794): Repurposing an antibiotic into a novel therapy for pressure injuries
2018, Granville and Turner, ICORD Seed Grant, Co-investigator, UBC, Canada ($21,794): Pressure injuries in SCI patients: a new therapy from an old drug
2018, Granville, Hiroyasu and Turner, In Vivo Preclinical Transgenic Model Development Pilot Program competition, UBC, Canada ($2,724)
Turner, CT (2025). 'Pro-inflammatory granzyme K contributes extracellularly to disease', Frontiers in Immunology, vol. 16, article no. 1620670, pp. 1-8.
Esen F and Turner CT (2025). 'Editorial: Roles of Granzymes in Inflammation, Aging and Autoimmunity'. Frontiers in Immunology. doi.org/10.3389/fimmu.2025.1672898.
Turner, CT, Zangabad, PS, Janusaitis, K, Black, N, Fitridge, R, Cowin, AJ & Voelcker, NH (2025). 'Porous silicon nanoparticle hydrogel formulation for topical delivery of flightless I neutralizing antibody and improved diabetic wound healing', Small, online, pp. 1-18.
| Year | Citation |
|---|---|
| 2018 | McInnes, S. J. P., Turner, C. T., Cowin, A. J., & Voelcker, N. H. (2018). Wound management using porous silicon. In L. Canham (Ed.), Handbook of Porous Silicon: Second Edition (Vol. 2-2, pp. 1433-1452). Springer International Publishing. DOI |
| 2018 | McInnes, S. J. P., Turner, C. T., Cowin, A. J., & Voelcker, N. H. (2018). Wound management using porous silicon. In L. Canham (Ed.), Source details - Title: Handbook of Porous Silicon: Second Edition (2 ed., pp. 1433-1452). Switzerland: Springer. DOI |
| 2007 | Brooks, D., Turner, C., Muller, V., Hopwood, J. J., & Meikle, P. (2007). I-cell disease. In Lysosomal Storage Disorders (pp. 529-537). Springer US. DOI Scopus1 |
| Year | Citation |
|---|---|
| 2021 | Obasanmi, G., Tian, Y., Cui, J. Z., Turner, C. T., Zeglinski, M. R., Granville, D. J., & Matsubara, J. A. (2021). Granzyme B degrades extracellular matrix and promotes choroidal neovascularization in an <i>ex-vivo</i> microvascular angiogenesis model. In INVESTIGATIVE OPHTHALMOLOGY & VISUAL SCIENCE Vol. 62 (pp. 3 pages). ELECTR NETWORK: ASSOC RESEARCH VISION OPHTHALMOLOGY INC. WoS1 |
| 2020 | Matsubara, J. A., Tsuyuki, M., Ng, J., Tian, E. Y., Zhu, C., Cui, J. Z., . . . Granville, D. J. (2020). Granzyme B Promotes Early Stages of AMD by Degrading Extracellular Matrix and Cell-Cell Contact Proteins in Bruch's Membrane and RPE. In INVESTIGATIVE OPHTHALMOLOGY & VISUAL SCIENCE Vol. 61 (pp. 4 pages). ELECTR NETWORK: ASSOC RESEARCH VISION OPHTHALMOLOGY INC. |
| 2020 | Richardson, K., Turner, C., Hiroyasu, S., Crawford, R., Burleigh, A., & Granville, D. (2020). Granzyme K: A potential mediator of psoriasis. In JOURNAL OF INVESTIGATIVE DERMATOLOGY Vol. 140 (pp. S9). ELECTR NETWORK: ELSEVIER SCIENCE INC. |
| 2020 | Turner, C., Zeglinski, M., Bolsoni, J., Zhao, H., Papp, A., & Granville, D. (2020). Granzyme B contributes to pressure injury severity in aged skin. In WOUND REPAIR AND REGENERATION Vol. 28 (pp. S5). WILEY. |
| 2019 | Richardson, K., Turner, C., Zeglinski, M., Zhao, H., Shen, Y., & Granville, D. (2019). Granzyme K: An Important Mediator of Cutaneous Inflammation and Reepithelialization. In FASEB JOURNAL Vol. 33 (pp. 2 pages). FL, Orlando: WILEY. |
| 2019 | Zeglinski, M. R., Turner, C. T., Santacruz, S., Pawluk, M. A., Zhao, H., Carlsten, C., & Granville, D. J. (2019). Wood Smoke Disrupts Alveolar Epithelial Barrier Function through a p44/42 MAPK Signaling Pathway. In FASEB JOURNAL Vol. 33 (pp. 2 pages). FL, Orlando: WILEY. |
| 2019 | Matsubara, J. A., Tian, Y., Cui, J. Z., Cao, S., Hiroyasu, S., Turner, C., . . . Granville, D. J. (2019). Potential Role of Extracellular Granzyme B in the Pathogenesis of Age-related Macular Degeneration (AMD). In INVESTIGATIVE OPHTHALMOLOGY & VISUAL SCIENCE Vol. 60 (pp. 3 pages). CANADA, Vancouver: ASSOC RESEARCH VISION OPHTHALMOLOGY INC. |
| 2019 | Sellers, S., Cartlidge, T., Hensey, M., Turner, C., Lai, A., Lau, K., . . . Leipsic, J. (2019). Tricuspid Valve-in-Valve and Bioprosthetic Surgical Tricuspid and Pulmonic Valve Degeneration: Lessons From Imaging and Histopathology. In JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN COLLEGE OF CARDIOLOGY Vol. 74 (pp. B96). CA, San Diego: ELSEVIER SCIENCE INC. DOI |
| - | Zeglinski, M. R., Turner, C. T., & Granville, D. J. (n.d.). DIFFERENTIAL EXPRESSION OF GRANZYME B IN MACROPHAGES. In WOUND REPAIR AND REGENERATION Vol. 27 (pp. A14). WILEY. |
| - | Turner, C., Santacruz, S., Zeglinski, M., Wang, C., Richardson, K., Hiroyasu, S., . . . Granville, D. (n.d.). GRANZYME B EXACERBATES ATOPIC DERMATITIS THROUGH FILAGGRIN, E-CADHERIN AND DESMOGLEIN CLEAVAGE AND DISRUPTION OF BARRIER FUNCTION. In WOUND REPAIR AND REGENERATION Vol. 27 (pp. A2). WILEY. |
| - | Turner, C. T., Zeglinski, M., Zhao, H., Bird, P., Papp, A., & Granville, D. (n.d.). Granzyme K Impairs Wound Healing. In WOUND REPAIR AND REGENERATION Vol. 26 (pp. A8-A9). WILEY. |
| Year | Citation |
|---|---|
| 2016 | Mcinnes, S., Turner, C., Al Bataineh, S., Airaghi Leccardi, M., Irani, Y., Williams, K., . . . Voelcker, N. (2016). Delivery of therapeutic infliximab from nanostructured porous silicon. Poster session presented at the meeting of Frontiers in bioengineering and biotechnology. Swizerland: Frontiers Research Foundation. DOI |
| 2012 | Kopecki, Z., Ruzehaji, N., Turner, C., Iwata, H., Ludwig, R. J., Zillikens, D., . . . Cowin, A. J. (2012). Flightless neutralizing antibodies improve healing of blistered skin. Poster session presented at the meeting of JOURNAL OF INVESTIGATIVE DERMATOLOGY. Venice, ITALY: NATURE PUBLISHING GROUP. WoS23 |
| 2012 | Kopecki, Z., Ruzehaji, N., Turner, C., Iwata, H., Ludwig, R. J., Zillikens, D., . . . Cowin, A. J. (2012). APPLICATION OF FLII NEUTRALIZING ANTIBODIES REDUCES THE SEVERITY OF SKIN BLISTERING IN A COLVII MODEL OF EPIDERMOLYSIS BULLOSA ACQUISITA. Poster session presented at the meeting of WOUND REPAIR AND REGENERATION. WILEY-BLACKWELL. |
| 2012 | Turner, C. T., Melville, E., Krumbiegel, D., Zola, H., & Cowin, A. (2012). DEVELOPMENT OF AN ANTI-FLIGHTLESS I MONOCLONAL ANTIBODY FOR IMPROVED WOUND HEALING. Poster session presented at the meeting of WOUND REPAIR AND REGENERATION. WILEY-BLACKWELL. |
| Year | Citation |
|---|---|
| 2016 | Voelcker, N. H., McInnes, S. J. P., Turner, C. T., & Cowin, A. J. (2016). WO/2016/172769, Compositions and methods for administering antibodies. |
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