Q & A: Samir Khleif

Abstract

In 1999, Hussein bin Talal, the king of Jordan, died after a long battle with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. Since then, his eldest son and successor, King Abdullah II bin Al Hussein, has sought to improve cancer treatment in his country as part of an effort to boost healthcare and technological development. The country's capital, Amman, now boasts a world-class cancer treatment center, which draws patients from throughout the region. To lead that effort, the king tapped Samir Khleif, chief of the cancer vaccine section at the US National Cancer Institute in Bethesda, Maryland. Khleif, who received his medical degree in Jordan, now has an even bigger mandate from the king: to build an internationally renowned institute devoted to cancer research and biotechnology. Construction on The King Hussein Institute for Cancer and Biotechnology is scheduled to begin on the outskirts of Amman this month, with an expected completion in 2010.