William K. Oh, MD

My research has focused on prostate cancer and precision medicine. I have published over 370 peer-reviewed papers and have received NCI, Foundation, Industry and Institutional funding. I have served on multiple study sections for NIH and Foundations.

I have developed prospective clinicogenomic databases for prostate cancer patients. At Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, I led the Gelb Center for Translational Research that established a prospective collection of clinical data on >8000 patients with prostate cancer with blood, DNA, RNA and tissue. Examples of research output include assessment of treatment efficacy in castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC), PSA doubling time, testosterone in cancer outcome, and pharmacogenomic patterns predicting Gleason score. The continued maturity of this database has addressed many important questions in prostate cancer as a critical source for real-world data (RWD).

I have also been PI of many studies of therapies in both CRPC and localized high-risk prostate cancer. My work in neoadjuvant therapy, platinum-based chemotherapy, treatment for dormancy induction and rapid cycling of treatment to reduce resistance represent novel approaches to treatment of advanced prostate cancer. In collaboration with laboratory-based colleagues, we assessed changes in the expression of tissue and serum biomarkers related to treatments for CRPC. For instance, our work in whole blood RNA signatures led to a validated 6-gene signature that reproducibly predicts survival in mCRPC.

As Chief Medical Officer at Sema4, an AI-driven health intelligence and genomics company, I continued research in extracting real world evidence (RWE) from large datasets into clinically actionable decisions for oncologists and other clinicians. I launched 3 clinical protocols of precision oncology in large integrated community health systems, underserved populations and community urologists. Our work combining clinical EHR data with next-generation sequencing in cancer demonstrated the utility of large clinic-genomic databases in determining real-world outcomes in cancer patients. While at the Prostate Cancer Foundation as CMO, I led efforts to address barriers to delivery of care across the US. I created an implementation science approach that led the development of the “PCF Guidelines for Prostate Cancer Screening in Black Men in the US”, presented at the 2024 Genitourinary Cancers Symposium and published in NEJM Evidence. In addition, I led a clinician-industry roundtable to address underutilization of combination therapy in metastatic hormone-sensitive prostate cancer.

My research at YCC will continue to focus on genomics and precision medicine in cancer, as well as prostate cancer diagnostics and therapeutics.