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]
Turley was awarded membership of the National Academy of Sciences in 2025.[2]
