Websites
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Williams Group | Targeting Disease Pathways in Rheumatoid Arthritis
Research Group, Kennedy Institute
Richard Williams
Professor
Richard Williams and his team focus on the development of novel therapeutic strategies for chronic inflammatory diseases, like rheumatoid arthritis. He previously focused on the role of TNFα, having successfully contributed to the successful development of anti-TNFα therapy. Subsequent work on combination therapy led to clinical trials of anti-TNFα plus methotrexate, which has set the gold standard for pharmacological management of rheumatoid arthritis.
He was a Senior Lecturer (2007-2011) and then Reader (2011-2012) at Imperial College London and led the Animal Models Group at the Kennedy Institute from 2003-2012.
He led a highly successful MRC DPFS funded project from 2009-2011 and initiated collaborative ventures with numerous pharmaceutical companies, including Merck, Pfizer, GSK, J&J, Bayer-Schering and Celgene.
He has been a Visiting Lecturer at UCL, QMUL and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and as an Editor of Arthritis Research and Therapy for many years. He is now on the editorial board of Frontiers in Immunology and Cells and has acted as consultant to many pharmaceutical companies.
Key publications
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TNF receptor 2 signaling prevents DNA methylation at the Foxp3 promoter and prevents pathogenic conversion of regulatory T cells.
Journal article
Tseng W-Y. et al, (2019), Proc natl acad sci u s a, 116, 21666 - 21672
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Pharmacological modulation of T cell immunity results in long-term remission of autoimmune arthritis
Journal article
WILLIAMS R. et al, (2021), Proceedings of the national academy of sciences of usa
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Blockade of tumor necrosis factor in collagen-induced arthritis reveals a novel immunoregulatory pathway for Th1 and Th17 cells.
Journal article
Notley CA. et al, (2008), J exp med, 205, 2491 - 2497
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cIAP1/2 inhibition synergizes with TNF inhibition in autoimmunity by down-regulating IL-17A and inducing Tregs.
Journal article
Kawalkowska JZ. et al, (2019), Sci adv, 5
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Anti-tumor necrosis factor ameliorates joint disease in murine collagen-induced arthritis.
Journal article
Williams RO. et al, (1992), Proc natl acad sci u s a, 89, 9784 - 9788
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Synergy between anti-CD4 and anti-tumor necrosis factor in the amelioration of established collagen-induced arthritis.
Journal article
Williams RO. et al, (1994), Proc natl acad sci u s a, 91, 2762 - 2766
Recent publications
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Feasibility assessment of radiolabeled FAPI-04 for diagnostic and therapeutic use in rheumatoid arthritis.
Journal article
Tseng W-Y. et al, (2025), Biomed pharmacother, 187
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Inflammatory disease status and response to TNF blockade are associated with mechanisms of endotoxin tolerance.
Journal article
Clanchy FI. et al, (2024), J autoimmun, 148
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TNFR2 signalling in inflammatory diseases.
Journal article
Williams RO. et al, (2024), Best pract res clin rheumatol
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Disease status in human and experimental arthritis, and response to TNF blockade, is associated with MHC class II invariant chain (CD74) isoform expression.
Journal article
Clanchy FIL. et al, (2022), J autoimmun, 128
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Editorial: Multiple Implications of the Kynurenine Pathway in Inflammatory Diseases: Diagnostic and Therapeutic Applications.
Journal article
Mándi Y. et al, (2022), Front immunol, 13
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Induction of IDO1 and Kynurenine by Serine Proteases Subtilisin, Prostate Specific Antigen, CD26 and HtrA: A New Form of Immunosuppression?
Journal article
Clanchy FIL. et al, (2022), Front immunol, 13
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Modulation of immune cell function, IDO expression and kynurenine production by the quorum sensor 2-heptyl-3-hydroxy-4-quinolone (PQS).
Journal article
Ogbechi J. et al, (2022), Front immunol, 13