As Head of Technology at the Janssen Prevention Center, Anthony Williamson has broad responsibility for acquiring and developing innovative technologies for preventing non-communicable diseases. He brings to this role an impressive track record for scientific innovation and discovery, a keen eye for pioneer science and the ability to build world-class collaborations as well as in-house expertise.
Anthony was appointed to the Janssen Prevention Center management team when the center was launched at the start of 2015. He joined the Janssen Research & Development organization as Senior Director Innovation and Discovery at the Crucell Vaccine Institute (CVI) in 2011, setting up a new laboratory in La Jolla (San Diego, CA, United States) in that year. As leader of the laboratory until mid-2013, he drove the development and application of new technologies for antibody discovery and engineering, and initiated vaccine programs targeting both infectious and non-communicable diseases.
In June 2013, Anthony moved to London, United Kingdom, to establish a CVI foothold in microbiome research, an emerging field offering exciting opportunities for disease prevention, interception and treatment. The discovery capabilities established in London and La Jolla under Anthony’s leadership transitioned to the Janssen Prevention Center upon its launch, along with the complementary research expertise based in Leiden, the Netherlands.
Before joining CVI, Anthony co-founded and led two United States-based biotech companies: Calmune Corporation and Prion Solutions Inc. He worked in the Department of Immunology at The Scripps Research Institute in La Jolla, California, from 1992 to 2007, the last four years as Associate Professor.
Anthony has a Ph.D. in molecular immunology and has won numerous academic awards for his work there, which advanced the use of monoclonal antibodies as powerful research tools to gain insight into prion diseases.