Leigh Turner

About

Leigh Turner is a Professor in the School of Population and Public Health's Department of Health, Society, and Behavior at the University of California, Irvine. He is the founding Director of the UCI Center for Health Ethics and is also a member of UCI’s Stem Cell Research Center and UCI MIND. His academic background includes a Ph.D. in Religion & Social Ethics from the University of Southern California, earned in 1996, along with master's degrees in Religion & Social Ethics and Religious Studies, and a bachelor's degree in Religious Studies. Turner's research focuses on ethical, legal, and social issues related to stem cells and regenerative medicine products. He employs approaches from bioethics and the social sciences to critically examine the marketing claims and commercial practices of clinics that sell unproven and unlicensed cell-based interventions. Additionally, he investigates ethical concerns surrounding crowdfunding for medical care, cross-border health-related travel, non-trial expanded access to investigational interventions, and other related topics. Turner has contributed significantly to the field through his leadership roles and scholarly work addressing the complexities of stem cell research ethics and the regulation of emerging biomedical technologies.

Research topics

• Biology
• Political Science
• Medicine
• Cell biology
• Biotechnology
• Business
• Pathology
• Public relations
• Marketing
• Engineering ethics

Selected publications

• The American stem cell sell in 2021: U.S. businesses selling unlicensed and unproven stem cell interventions

  Cell stem cell · 2021 · 63 citations

  1st authorCorresponding
  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• International Society for Cell & Gene Therapy Position Paper: Key considerations to support evidence-based cell and gene therapies and oppose marketing of unproven products

  Cytotherapy · 2023-07-28 · 22 citations

  articleOpen access

  The field of regenerative medicine, including cellular immunotherapies, is on a remarkable growth trajectory. Dozens of cell-, tissue- and gene-based products have received marketing authorization worldwide while hundreds-to-thousands are either in preclinical development or under clinical investigation in phased clinical trials. However, the promise of regenerative therapies has also given rise to a global industry of direct-to-consumer offerings of prematurely commercialized cell and cell-base…

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Ethical issues and public communication in the development of cell-based treatments for COVID-19: Lessons from the pandemic

  Stem Cell Reports · 2021-10-16 · 15 citations

  reviewOpen access1st author

  The significant morbidity and mortality of coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19) prompted a global race to develop new therapies. These include interventions using cell- or cell-derived products, several of which are being tested in well-designed, properly controlled clinical trials. Yet, the search for cell-based COVID-19 treatments has also been fraught with hyperbolic claims; flouting of crucial regulatory, scientific, and ethical norms; and distorted communication of research findings. In this p…

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Stem cells, cell therapies, and bioengineering in lung biology and disease 2021

  American Journal of Physiology-Lung Cellular and Molecular Physiology · 2022-06-28 · 11 citations

  reviewOpen access

  The 9th biennial conference titled “Stem Cells, Cell Therapies, and Bioengineering in Lung Biology and Diseases” was hosted virtually, due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, in collaboration with the University of Vermont Larner College of Medicine, the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, the Alpha-1 Foundation, the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, and the International Society for Cell & Gene Therapy. The event was held from July 12th through 15th, 2021 with a pre-conference workshop held…

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• What does “appropriate scientific justification” mean for the review of human pluripotent stem cell, embryo, and related research?

  Stem Cell Reports · 2025-04-24 · 8 citations

  articleOpen access

  This article complements the 2021 International Society for Stem Cell Research (ISSCR) Guidelines for Stem Cell Research and Clinical Translation by explaining what "adequate and appropriate scientific justification" means for human pluripotent stem cell, embryo, and related research, thus providing practical advice for review and oversight bodies, regulators, and investigators who conduct research in these areas.

  PublisherDOI

Frequent coauthors

• Jeremy Snyder

  24 shared

• Valorie A. Crooks

  Simon Fraser University

  15 shared

• Laertis Ikonomou

  University at Buffalo, State University of New York

  15 shared

• Shemms Najjar

  University of California, Irvine

  10 shared

• Juan Ramon Martinez

  University of California, Irvine

  10 shared

• Thevin Rajapaksha Arachchilage

  University of California, Irvine

  10 shared

• Victoria Sahrai

  University of California, Irvine

  9 shared

• J. Wang

  Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College

  9 shared

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