Yezan Salamoun, PharmD

Yezan Salamoun, PharmD, is a Ph.D. candidate in Pharm Chem and co-founder of SteroCore Therapeutics, a startup developing a once-daily oral testosterone replacement therapy aimed at improving adherence and quality of life for patients with hypogonadism. Drawing on his training as a pharmacist, his work is shaped by real-world limitations of existing therapies and focuses on improving drug performance through metabolism and
delivery-informed strategies. His doctoral research advances STC-101, a novel oral testosterone prodrug, integrating in vitro metabolism, molecular docking, in vivo pharmacokinetics, and formulation approaches to enable oral delivery of poorly water-soluble compounds subject to extensive hepatic metabolism. In parallel with his academic training, Salamoun has helped build SteroCore as a university-based translational effort bridging pharmaceutical chemistry, drug metabolism, and early drug development strategy. Prior to his doctoral work, he conducted metabolomic biomarker research in autoimmune disease models and contributed to two peer-reviewed publications. Salamoun holds a Doctor of Pharmacy, and Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Pharmaceutical Sciences from KU.

Mentor: Dr. Michael Hageman, Valentino J. Stella Distinguished Professor School of Pharmacy - Pharmaceutical Chemistry