Dr James Turner

Supervisor Details

Contact Details

School of Sport, Exercise and Rehabilitation Sciences, University of Birmingham

Scientific Background

Research Interests

Dr Turner is internationally recognised as having expertise in exercise physiology or more specifically, exercise immunology. His research explores the impact lifestyle has on mechanisms of ageing and chronic disease. The projects James leads span two themes: (1) overweight/obesity and immune system ageing – with focus on adipose tissue immunology; and (2) physical activity and cancer immunology – with focus on factors that influence treatment outcomes, primarily in breast cancer.

Supervision Style

In three words or phrases: Supportive, Nurturing, Collaborative.

Provision of Training

I will teach you the main techniques you will use in your PhD so that you feel comfortable with them and so you are independent within a couple of months. You will learn some techniques from others (e.g., PhD students, post-docs, collaborators) but I will always be available to trouble-shoot and interpret the data with you.

Progression Monitoring and Management

We will generally have weekly informal catch-up meetings, and we will jointly decide on longer-term goals for when work should be completed. I will offer guidance on optimal and realistic timescales, and I always encourage my PhD students to reflect on their progression regularly, updating me when they feel ready.

Communication

In addition to ad hoc face-to-face conversations, I am happy to receive e-mails from my PhD students whenever they need my support, and if an urgent response is needed, I ask them to send me a WhatsApp message too. I normally reply to quick questions by e-mail within minutes or at least a couple of hours within normal working times, and if more detailed feedback is needed (e.g., on documents), I normally return this within a few days or a week.

PhD Students can expect scheduled meetings with me:

In a group meeting

At least once per week

In year 1 of PhD study

At least once per week

In year 2 of PhD study

At least once per week

In year 3 of PhD study

At least once per week

Meetings will be a mixture of face to face, via video chat or telephone, and I am usually contactable for an instant response on every working day.

Working Pattern

The timing of work in my lab is completely flexible, and (other than attending pre-arranged meetings), I expect students to manage their own time.

Notice Period for Feedback

I need at least 1 week's notice to provide feedback on written work of up to 5000 words.

MIBTP Project Details

Current Projects (2025-26)

Primary supervisor for:

Does immune system deterioration and adipose tissue dysfunction influence skeletal muscle mass in older adults and is there a restorative role for exercise?

See the PhD Opportunities section to see if this project is currently open for applications via MIBTP.

Please Note: The main page lists projects via BBSRC Research Theme(s) quoted and then relevant Topic(s).

Does immune system deterioration and adipose tissue dysfunction influence skeletal muscle mass in older adults and is there a restorative role for exercise?

Secondary Supervisor(s): Professor Leigh Breen

University of Registration: University of Birmingham

BBSRC Research Themes: Understanding the Rules of Life (Immunology)

Project Outline

In the UK, 10 million people are 65 years or older, rising to 19 million by 2050. Ageing is characterised by immune system deterioration, inflammation and declining skeletal muscle mass. In addition, even among older adults who are not obese, there is a gradual accumulation of adipose tissue, which becomes dysfunctional. Previously we recruited 12 Young (27±4y, BMI 24.5±1.4 kg/m2) and 12 Old non-obese people (66±5y, BMI 24.8±1.4 kg/m2) [1]. After matching for adiposity, older people had double the number of most inflammatory immune cells in their adipose tissue – cells that are implicated in an ageing immune system. In addition, adipose tissue cultures from older people exhibited high inflammatory molecule secretion. Although systemic inflammation is mechanistically implicated in skeletal muscle decline with ageing, it is unknown whether inflammatory secretions from adipose tissue “condition” human serum, contributing to systemic inflammation and therefore driving skeletal muscle decline. We have shown by culturing C2C12 myotubes with serum-conditioned media from non-obese Young (27+3y, BMI 26.1±3.1 kg/m2, n=4) and Old people (73+1y, BMI 24.0±3.8 kg/m2, n=4) that myotube diameter was much lower after treatment with Old serum, characterised by high levels of inflammatory molecules [2]. The source of this systemic inflammation is unproven, but the proposed work will establish the role and interconnectivity of two likely processes – immune system deterioration and adipose tissue dysfunction – in driving skeletal muscle decline with ageing.

Objectives

Establish whether immune system deterioration and adipose tissue dysfunction with ageing influence skeletal muscle mass and function and whether exercise can reverse these effects.

HYPOTHESIS 1: Skeletal muscle properties in-vitro will be impaired more when cultured with serum, adipose tissue secretions, and stimulated blood secretions from older adults compared with younger adults.

HYPOTHESIS 2: Skeletal muscle properties in-vitro will be impaired less when cultured with serum, adipose tissue secretions, and stimulated blood secretions collected after a 3 month exercise/diet intervention that improves adipose tissue and skeletal muscle profiles, compared with pre-intervention.

Details of Potential Methods and Time Plan

WORK PACKAGE 1: Observational study: young (n=20) vs. old (n=20).

WORK PACKAGE 2: Randomised-controlled-trial: 3 months exercise/diet vs. control (old n=20 per group).

Blood, subcutaneous adipose tissue and skeletal muscle will be sampled and body composition and fitness (including in vivo muscle function) assessed. Serum, supernatant from stimulated blood cultures (e.g., stimulants: mitogens, virus antigens) or supernatant from adipose tissue cultures will be incubated with mouse-C2C12 and human-LHCN-M2 muscle cell lines. Properties assessed: immunohistochemistry (myotube diameter, nuclei), immunoblotting: (protein synthesis - puromycin incorporation, intracellular signalling). Blood/adipose/muscle immune cell phenotypes/function will be assessed with multi-parameter flow cytometry.

Months 0-6: WP1 ethics application, method development, training.

Months 6-24: WP1: recruits 2-3 participants/month – continuous data analysis.

Months 24-27: WP2: design with stakeholder development, ethics application.

Months 27-45: WP2: 3 month intervention starts for 3 participants per month (15 months of recruitment)

Months 45-48: Finalise analyses/thesis.

References

[1] Trim W, Walhin JP, Koumanov F, Bouloumie A, Lindsay M, Travers R, Turner JE & Thompson D. Divergent immunometabolic changes in adipose tissue and skeletal muscle with ageing in healthy humans. The Journal of Physiology 2022, 600 (4) 921-947.

[2] Allen SL, Marshall RN, Edwards SJ, Lord JM, Lavery GG, Breen L. The effect of young and old ex vivo human serum on cellular protein synthesis and growth in an in vitro model of aging. American Journal of Physiology Cell Physiology. 2021 Jul 1;321.