National Cancer Institute Program Leadership Bios
Henry Rodriguez, Ph.D., M.B.A.
Anna D. Barker, Ph.D.
Deputy Director, Advanced Technologies and Strategic Partnerships
National Cancer Institute
Dr. Barker serves as the Deputy Director for Advanced Technologies and Strategic Partnerships of the National Cancer Institute (NCI). In this role she plans and coordinates the implementation of integrative, multi-disciplinary and multi-sector programs to accelerate the development and translation of new knowledge and advanced technologies into effective interventions to prevent, detect and treat cancer. Under her leadership, the NCI has recently launched programs in bioinformatics and nanotechnology and is currently developing initiatives in proteomics and biospecimens to enable cancer research. Dr. Barker completed her Ph.D. at the Ohio State University, where she trained in immunology and microbiology. Her research interests include experimental therapeutics, tumor immunology, and free-radical biochemistry in cancer etiology, prevention and treatment.
Dr. Barker has a long history in research and the leadership and management of research and development, technology transfer and product commercialization in the non-profit and private sectors. Prior to entering the biotechnology sector, she was a senior executive at Battelle Memorial Institute for 18 years where she developed and led a large group of scientists and technical staff working in areas such as drug discovery and development, pharmacology and biotechnology, including several NCI sponsored research programs. In the private sector she co-founded and served as the CEO of a public biotechnology company, focused in therapeutics discovery and development; and subsequently founded and served as the CEO of a private company dedicated to the transfer and deployment of technologies to prevent, diagnose and treat cancer.
She is a member of the Steering Committee of C-Change and Chairperson of the C-Change Cancer Research Team. She is a member of the DOD Breast Cancer Research Program Integration Panel, and a past chairperson of the BCRP Integration Panel. Dr. Barker has served in several capacities for the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR), including the Board of Directors and chairperson of the Public Science Policy and Legislative Affairs Committee; and the NCI, including membership on the Board of Scientific Counselors for the Division of Cancer Etiology and chairperson of the Cancer Center Support Review Study Section. Dr. Barker has received a number of awards for her contributions to research, cancer patients, professional and advocacy organizations and the ongoing national effort to prevent and cure cancer, including a named fellowship from the AACR.
Henry Rodriguez, Ph.D., M.B.A.
Director, Clinical Proteomic Technologies Initiative for Cancer
Office of the Director
National Cancer Institute
Dr. Rodriguez serves as the Director of the Clinical Proteomic Technologies for Cancer programs within the NCI's Office of Technology and Industrial Relations, in the Office of the Director. In this role, he oversees and is responsible for the vision, direction, and implementation of highly complex scientific proteomic technology programs. These initiatives consist of the Clinical Proteomic Technologies Initiative (CPTI) and the Mouse Proteomic Technologies Initiative (MPTI).
Dr. Rodriguez is an internationally recognized expert in advanced molecular-based cancer technologies, specifically proteomics, genomics, cellomics, and bioinformatics. Immediately before coming the to NCI in 2006, Dr. Rodriguez was at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), where he held several roles (1998-2006). At NIST, Dr. Rodriguez developed and was the Leader of the Cell & Tissue Measurements Group, where he successfully established four advanced technology research programs in the areas of quantitative cell biology/cellomics, proteomics, gene expression, and bioinformatics. Initiatives in proteomic metrology included protein capture chemistry, mass spectrometry, protein sequencing, peptide synthesis, and database development.
Dr. Rodriguez also developed a tissue engineering program, of which he was the program manager and chairman of the NIST Regenerative Medicine Strategic Working Panel. In this capacity, he established molecular-based analytical procedures to measure genetic damage in tissue-engineered medical products that may result from manufacturing, storage or shipping, and coordinated these efforts with the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and ASTM International.
Dr. Rodriguez helped pioneer new measurement methodologies that utilized liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry (LC/MS). He is internationally known for his outstanding efforts in developing, applying, and quantifying oxidatively-modified base detection methods for applications in health care and cancer diagnostics. Dr. Rodriguez has been awarded several Department of Commerce Advanced Technology Program (ATP) intramural awards and served as an ATP Proposal Scientific Expert.
Dr. Rodriguez served as a Program Analyst (Science/Strategic Policy Expert) in the Office of the Director at NIST, where he helped in the planning and evaluation of strategic scientific policies and partnerships in biotechnology, including interactions with the Department of Commerce and members of Congress. In 2005, Dr. Rodriguez developed the Measurement Challenges in Proteomics workshop, as part of NIST’s Roadmap Initiative. He also participated on Department of Commerce efforts in education and/or training in genetics and genetic technologies of professionals for the Secretary's Advisory Committee on Genetics, Health, and Society (SACGHS).
Dr. Rodriguez is an advocate that molecular medicine is transforming the processes of drug discovery, development, and delivery, suggesting that the war on cancer is embarking upon a new era. By providing a suite of rapid, sensitive, specific, high-throughput analytic tools and supporting standardized reagents and informatics capabilities, the integrated application of advanced technologies offers the possibility of transforming this challenge into an opportunity.
Dr. Rodriguez began his career as a fellow at the Department of Immunology of The Scripps Research Institute, and then at the Department of Medical Oncology of the City of Hope National Medical Center. Dr. Rodriguez is the recipient of domestic and international awards, including the Sigma Xi Young Scientific Investigator award, the Alumni Honor Roll of the MARC/MBRS programs of the National Institute of General Medical Sciences at the National Institutes of Health, a Proclamation letter signed by the Governor of Hawaii, and the Science Spectrum Trailblazer, Top Minority in Research Science Award. In addition, he has been elected to the presidency of scientific organizations such as the Oxygen Club of Greater Washington, D.C. He has authored over 59 papers in peer-reviewed journals and books and co-edited a science book titled Oxidative Stress and Aging: Advances In Basic Science, Diagnostics and Intervention, that made the publisher’s “Bestsellers List.”
Dr. Rodriguez received a B.S. and M.S. in Biology from Florida International University, a Ph.D. in Cell and Molecular Biology from Boston University, and an M.B.A. from Johns Hopkins University School of Business Management.
Mehdi Mesri, Ph.D.
Program Manager, Clinical Proteomic Technologies Initiative for Cancer
Office of the Director
National Cancer Institute
Dr. Mesri serves as program manager of the Clinical Proteomic Technologies Initiative for Cancer, a program in the NCI’s Office of Technology and Industrial Relations. In this role, he coordinates novel proteomics and genomics technology development, assessment, and metrology development projects for the program. In addition, Dr. Mesri serves as a technical resource on integrating emerging technologies in proteomics, genomics, and pharmacogenomics into targeted diagnostics and therapeutics. Dr. Mesri performs scientific analysis and coordinates the implementation of trans-divisional cancer proteomic technology research initiatives.
Dr. Mesri has seven years of experience in biopharmaceutical drug discovery/validation in cancer, vascular biology, and immunology. Prior to the NCI, Dr. Mesri served as a principal scientist/projects manager in the Department of Protein Therapeutics at Celera. There, he used mass spectrometry technologies to discover and validate biologic antibody targets in oncology, including prostate cancer and angiogenesis. Using in vitro and in vivo models, he has contributed to the validation of biologic and small molecule targets using validation platforms including proteomics, antibody and/or toxin-conjugated antibody-mediated cell death, RNAi, IHC, FACS, and apoptosis. Dr. Mesri was also instrumental in a lung cancer biomarker/diagnostic discovery and validation program at Celera, which was aimed at generation of a constellation of biomarkers for early detection and management of lung cancer. Prior to that Dr. Mesri was a project leader at CuraGen Corporation, where he championed genomically-derived high value protein drug and fully human monoclonal antibody targets for an immunology/inflammation program, including a new protein with a novel immunosuppressive function which he advanced to the pre-clinical stage. There he also established a functional screening assay panel, developed bio-analytical ELISA methods for CuraGen clinical candidates, presented at the IND team meetings, and established/managed external collaborations on target candidates, among other responsibilities.
During his five-year postdoctoral training, and later as a junior faculty at Yale University, Dr. Mesri led a number of projects. He investigated cancer gene therapy by developing a survivin (member of inhibitors of apoptosis, IAP) mutant adenovirus in xenograft breast cancer models. He was interested in trying to bridge the survivin story with some aspects of vascular biology and he pursued some initial observations and demonstrated that survivin was actually a key cell viability gene downstream of VEGF stimulation and supported the data using animal studies.
Dr. Mesri is the recipient of domestic and international awards including the CuraGen Corporation Special Achievement Award, a Reciprocal Exchange Fellowship by the British Society for Immunology, a federally funded National Research Service Award, and a Scottish Medical Research Studentship.
Dr. Mesri received a B.Sc. in Biomedical Sciences from the University of Bradford, (UK), a M.Med.Sci. in Clinical Pathology from the University of Sheffield (UK), and a Ph.D. in Immunology from the University of Aberdeen (UK).
Christopher Kinsinger, Ph.D.
Program Specialist, Clinical Proteomic Technologies Initiative for Cancer
Office of the Director
National Cancer Institute
Dr. Kinsinger serves as program specialist of the Clinical Proteomic Technologies Initiative for Cancer, a program in the NCI’s Office of Technology and Industrial Relations. In this role, he oversees the development and assessment of technology platforms for cancer research. Dr. Kinsinger focuses on programmatic goals involving mass spectrometry, informatics, and biospecimens. In this role he works with NCI staff and investigators to optimize proteomics technology, establish policies for sharing data and biospecimens, and generally improve the quality and reliability of proteomic data and samples. Dr. Kinsinger completed his B.S. degree in 1999 from Wheaton College and Ph.D. degree in chemistry in 2004 from the University of Minnesota. Prior to joining the NCI’s Clinical Proteomics Management team, Dr. Kinsinger completed postdoctoral training at the National Institute of Standards and Technology, where he researched fragmentation pathways of peptide ions in mass spectrometry.
