Solomon Tadesse Zeleke, Ph.D, M.Sc, B.Pharm

Assistant Professor (BMS)

Office: Leonard Hall 255, Pocatello

Drug Discovery & Development • Medicinal Chemistry • Chemical Biology • Pharmacognosy • Ethnopharmacology • Computational and AI-Driven Drug Discovery

Dr. Solomon Tadesse Zeleke earned his Ph.D. in Medicinal Chemistry and Drug Development from the University of South Australia. He holds a Bachelor of Pharmacy (B.Pharm) and an M.Sc. in Pharmacognosy and Natural Product–Based Drug Discovery. Dr. Zeleke completed postdoctoral training at both the University of South Australia and the Moffitt Cancer Center in Florida, USA. He has led multidisciplinary research and mentorship initiatives across the United States, Australia, Africa, and Europe, focusing on the discovery and development of small-molecule kinase inhibitors for cancer therapy. Dr. Zeleke is also a recipient of the prestigious Alexander von Humboldt Fellowship, awarded by the German government, in recognition of his international contributions to medicinal chemistry and cancer drug discovery.

Dr. Zeleke’s research focuses on drug discovery and development. His work involves the design, synthesis, and evaluation of small-molecule therapeutics targeting cyclin-dependent kinases (CDKs) and related pathways that drive cancer. He has identified novel CDK4-, CDK4/6-, and CDK12-selective inhibitors, including compounds that have advanced to clinical trials. His laboratory uses computational and AI-driven drug discovery methods, drug design, natural product–inspired chemistry, and structure-guided synthesis to elucidate molecular mechanisms governing kinase selectivity and resistance. Current efforts focus on developing next-generation CDK-selective inhibitors and molecular-glue degraders to overcome therapeutic resistance in cancer, while exploring bioactive compounds from medicinal plants as promising lead structures.

Links:
Google Scholar Profile
Zeleke Lab Website
Prophy.ai Profile