William D Thomas, Jr, Phd

Biography

Dr. Thomas has more than 20 years of experience in the development and manufacture of vaccines and monoclonal antibodies. He spent the past fifteen years with MassBiologics at the University of Massachusetts Medical School, where, as Deputy Director, he was responsible for Product Discovery, Process Development and Manufacturing. Among his many accomplishments while there, Bill was responsible for the development of monoclonal antibodies against C. difficile that were shown to be effective in a Phase III trial recently completed by Merck. Additionally, under his leadership, MassBiologics modernized its TD manufacturing process to meet FDA standards. Bill began his career with OraVax (formerly Acambis, now Sanofi Pasteur) where he held a series of positions of increased responsibility and was responsible for vaccine discovery and clinical manufacturing, developing vaccines and adjuvants for use against C. difficile and H. pylori. He discovered the toxoid vaccine and developed a manufacturing process for the C. difficile toxoid vaccine currently in Phase III trials by Sanofi. Bill received his Ph.D. in microbiology and immunology from the Medical College of Virginia, where he studied genetic mechanisms of antibiotic resistance in Staphylococci. Bill holds 17 patents for vaccines, adjuvants and monoclonal antibodies, and has published more than 25 articles in peer-reviewed journals. 

Research Interest

Genetic Mechanisms of Antibiotic Resistance