William V. Williams

Biography

Dr. Williams is a seasoned biopharmaceutical executive with over 35 years of industry and academic expertise, including significant clinical management in multinational pharmaceutical companies. Dr. Williams served as VP of Exploratory Development at Incyte Corporation from 2005 - 2016. There he facilitated entry of over 20 compounds into the clinic, including ruxolitinib (Jakafi), baricitinib, and epacadostat. He was responsible for establishing proof-of-concept in several therapeutic areas, and has been involved in numerous new drug applications (NDAs) for therapeutics that achieved marketing authorization in multiple therapeutic areas including oncology. This includes Jakafi for myelofibrosis and polycythemia vera and baricitinib for rheumatoid arthritis. Dr. Williams earned his BSc. in Chemistry and Biotechnology from Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Medical Doctorate from Tufts University School of Medicine. Following his residency at the Boston VA Medical Center, Dr. Williams completed fellowship training in Rheumatology and Cellular Immunology at the University of Missouri. He then joined the molecular immunology laboratory of Mark I. Greene, MD, PhD, FRCP, at the University of Pennsylvania, developed novel methods of bioactive peptide design, and collaborated in the study of the activation of the p185/Human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) receptor. HER-2 is a protein which is known to promote the growth of cancer cells. Dr. Williams is the named author at over 130 peer reviewed publications, over 15 patents and numerous Investigational New Drugs (INDs) and NDAs.

Research Interest

 Dr. Williams served as Head of Rheumatology Research at the University of Pennsylvania, ran a major research program in receptor biology, including developing bioactive peptides that mimicked granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF), a known stimulant of the immune system. He collaborated with David B. Weiner, Ph.D., a well-known leader in immuno-oncology and vaccine research, in the development of DNA vaccines and was able to bring novel DNA vaccines into the clinic for the treatment of cutaneous T cell lymphoma.