Julian Adams, PhD, is a scientist who is world-renowned for his extraordinary success in developing new molecules that impact human disease as well as for his profound commitment to medical innovation and cancer research.
While director of medicinal chemistry at Boehringer Ingelheim, Dr. Adams developed the drug Viramune® (nevirapine) for HIV. As senior vice president of drug discovery and development at Millennium Pharmaceuticals, he oversaw the synthesis and development of Velcade®(bortezomib), a proteasome inhibitor that revolutionized treatment of multiple myeloma. Dr. Adams has received many awards for his role in the discovery and development of bortezomib including the 2012 Warren Alpert Foundation Prize, the 2012 C. Chester Stock Award Lectureship from Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center and the 2001 Ribbon of Hope Award for Velcade®from the International Myeloma Foundation.
Dr. Adams is currently president of research and development at Infinity Pharmaceuticals, Inc., where he has led the development of a panel of new inhibitors targeting heat shock proteins, embryonic signaling pathways and other novel cancer-related targets.
An advisor to the American Association for Cancer Research and other cancer-related foundations, Dr. Adams holds more than 40 patents and has authored more than 100 papers and book chapters in peer-reviewed journals. He received his PhD in synthetic organic chemistry from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Dr. Adams is widely regarded as one of the most innovative and dedicated leaders in the biotechnology industry. He has made extraordinary contributions to the development of targeted therapies and continues to have a major impact in this rapidly evolving field.
