Our Science – Khleif Website

Samir N. Khleif, M.D.

Vaccine Branch Head, Cancer Vaccine Section Investigator Building 8, Room 5101 NCI-Bethesda Bethesda, MD 20892 Phone:   301-594-0210 Fax:   301-435-8695 E-Mail:   khleif@nih.gov

Biography

Dr. Khleif earned his M.D. from the University of Jordan in Amman in 1986. He completed his internal medicine residency at the Medical College of Ohio in 1990 and joined the NCI as a medical oncology fellow. Currently he is a senior investigator and Chief of Cancer Vaccine Section at the NCI, he also serve as a Special Assistant to the Commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration leading the Critical Path Initiative for oncology. Dr. Khleif also holds an adjunct academic appointment with the Medicine Department of the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, MD. Dr. Khleif serves on many local, national, and international committees and as a cancer vaccine expert for a number of national organizations. From 2002 to 2006 Dr. Khleif served as the Director General and CEO of the King Hussein Cancer Center as part of an agreement between the National Cancer Institute and Jordan. During that period Dr. Khleif lead the development of the only cancer center in the Middle East into an international recognized comprehensive cancer center of excellence. in 2007 Dr. Khleif was also appointed as the Director of the King Hussein Institute for Biotechnology and Cancer. Dr. Khleif was appointed as part of a new agreement between the Health and Human Services Department/the National Cancer Institute and Jordan to develop this new Institute as a comprehensive cancer center and Biotechnology research hub.

Research

Cancer Vaccine Development

Dr. Khleif's research involves integrated translational basic laboratory research and clinical trials in understadnig the interaction between tunor cells and the immune system adn the development of cancer vaccines. His laboratory's emphasis is on the preclinical identification of potential new vaccine targets, the development of improved and more effective methods for vaccine delivery, the further understanding of the mechanism of immune response in vaccinated patients, and the incorporation of these findings into clinical trial development. His research has a special emphasis on viral and cellular oncogene antigenic potentials.

Collaborating on this work are: Intramural: Jay Berzofsky, NCI; Masaki Tarabe, NCI; Michael Birrer, NCI; Steven Libutti, NCI; Seth Steinberg, NCI; Lauren Wood, NCI; Peter Choyke, CC
Extramural: Theresa Whiteside, University of Pittsburgh;Albert Deleo, University of Pittsburgh; George Coukos, University of Pennsylvania; Emanuelle Petricoin, James Mason University; Lance Liotta, James Mason University; Robert Kerbel, University of Toronto; Yuval Shaked, University of Toronto; Anil Sood, MD Anderson Cancer Institute; Joseph Lucci, University of Miami; Joan Walker, University of Oklahoma; Vincent Herrin, University of Tennessee; Mark Einstein, Montefiore Hospital; Harold Varmus, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center; Katerina Pollitti, Sloan Kettering Cancer Center

This page was last updated on 6/30/2008.