Department of Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences (BPSCI)
Professors
Daniel Morgan
PhD
Department Chair
Professor
BPSCI
Office: 256
Leonard Hall
Pocatello Campus
Pharmacology • Neuroscience • Receptor Signaling
The primary focus of Dr. Daniel Morgan’s laboratory is to understand the role of neuropeptide and endocannabinoid signaling in human health and disease, including cannabinoid tolerance, drug addiction, and metabolic homeostasis. In 2012, Dr. Daniel Morgan established an independent research laboratory in the Department of Anesthesiology at the Penn State College of Medicine, where they were later promoted to associate professor with tenure.
In 2020, Dr. Daniel Morgan’s research group relocated to the Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine at Marshall University, where they served as an associate professor and vice chair in the Department of Biomedical Sciences. In 2025, Dr. Daniel Morgan transitioned to their current position at Idaho State University.
Since 2013, the laboratory’s research on cannabinoid signaling and tolerance has been supported by R21, K01, and R01 awards from the National Institutes of Health, as well as grants from the Pennsylvania Department of Health, the West Virginia Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute, and the West Virginia INBRE. The group’s current work focuses on elucidating the molecular mechanisms and signaling pathways underlying tolerance and dependence associated with cannabinoid drugs, including delta-9-THC, the psychoactive and pain-relieving component of cannabis. This research carries significant clinical relevance, as tolerance and dependence are among the key criteria used by clinicians to diagnose cannabis use disorder.
In addition to research activities, Dr. Daniel Morgan serves as an associate editor for the Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, is a member of the program committee for the Winter Conference on Brain Research, and participates in various leadership teams for the American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics.
Associate Professors
Ali Habashi
PharmD, PhD
Associate Professor
BPSCI
Office: 257
Leonard Hall
Pocatello Campus
Pharmaceutical Sciences • Pharmacokinetics
I am interested in exploring the concept of drug-disease interaction, and studying the effect of inflammation, in particular, on the renin-angiotensin system (RAS) at enzyme, peptide, and receptor levels in order to fully understand the underlying mechanisms. In different inflammatory conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis, cancer, diabetes, mental disorders, and Alzheimer disease, patient’s quality of life has been be affected by the deleterious impact of inflammation. Due to extensive involvement of the RAS in the systemic and local regulatory function of different organs and the significant impact of inflammation on the activation of the RAS, the association of the RAS in different pathological conditions has been reported. The RAS consists of two counteracting arms: tissue protective and tissue toxic. Manipulation of the RAS through augmentation of its tissue protective arm by delivering of its peptide homologs seems promising. Peptides have gained increased interest as biological therapeutics during recent years. However, the clinical application of these agents is still limited due to drug delivery challenges. As a pharmaceutical formulation scientist, I have set focuses of my lab on exploring innovative targeted drug delivery systems for effective, safe, and noninvasive delivery of these therapeutic agents for aiming at several serious inflammatory conditions that RAS involved in their pathology.
My interests include: Basic Pharmacokinetics and Pharmaceutical calculations, Pharmacotherapy, Current Topics in Pharmaceutics and Drug delivery, Principles of Biopharmaceutical Analysis, Responsible Conduct in Research, Physiochemical Basis of Drug Action, Critical Literature Evaluation
Dong Xu
PhD
Director of Graduate Programs
Associate Professor
BPSCI
Office: 752
Sam and Aline Skaggs Health Science Center
Meridian Campus
Drug Discovery • Drug Toxicity • Pharmacology • Biomedical Informatics
Xu Research Lab Website: http://www.dxulab.org/
The overarching goal of Xu Drug Discovery Lab is to address unmet medical and health science needs using state-of-the-art computational and experimental technologies.
Specific research areas are:
- Drug Discovery (Computer-Accelerated Drug Repurposing and Screening);
- Drug-Induced Toxicity Prediction and Prevention;
- Web-Based and Cloud BioComputing Software Development.
Assistant Professors
Jesse Jones
PharmD, PhD
Assistant Professor
BPSCI
Office: 254
Leonard Hall
Pocatello Campus
Biological Chemistry • Biomedical Engineering • Pharmaceutical Sciences • Protein Biochemistry • Synthetic Biology
Dr. Jones earned a B.S. degree from Boise State University (Boise, ID), a Pharm.D. from Idaho State University (Meridian, ID), and a Ph.D. in Pharmaceutical Sciences from University of Tennessee Health Science Center (Memphis, TN). He completed a postdoctoral research fellowship at University of Michigan School of Medicine (Ann Arbor, MI) in Biomedical Engineering and Biological Chemistry.
Dr. Jones’ research program focuses on the development of targeted therapeutics and includes an interdisciplinary approach spanning biological chemistry, drug discovery, molecular pharmaceutics, and synthetic biology. Dr. Jones employs a multi-faceted approach, using classical drug discovery methods to characterize and validate specific enzymes, such as bacterial topoisomerase I, as well as structural proteins, such as herpes virus capsid proteins, to develop targeted, narrow-spectrum antimicrobial therapeutics. Dr. Jones also employs advanced synthetic biology methods including the discovery, characterization, and advanced engineering of protein nanocompartments, such as bacterial encapsulins and viral capsids, to develop targeted drug, nanoreactor, and living therapeutic delivery platforms.
Srinath Pashikanti
PhD
Assistant Professor
BPSCI
Office: 250 A
Leonard Hall
Pocatello Campus
Synthetic Medicinal Chemistry • Protein Biochemistry • Bioanalytical Chemistry
Dr. Pashikanti has an MS degree in Chemistry & Biochemistry from South Dakota State University, an MS and Ph.D. in Medicinal Chemistry from The University of Kansas. Pashikanti Lab utilizes organic chemistry towards synthesis of cell permeable medicinally active analogs. Our current efforts are aimed to develop, synthesize and screen small molecules in targeting ceramide metabolizing enzymes. Ceramide is a bioactive sphingolipid that exhibits anticancer properties in cancer cells. Strategies aimed at increasing the cellular ceramide induce apoptosis in cancer cells. To complement our synthetic efforts, we utilize tools for protein biochemistry to perform in vitro experiments and cell-based assays in determining the biological activity of these analogs in a structure-activity relationship model.
He is an assistant professor in the Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences Department. He is actively involved in mentoring graduate and professional pharmacy students. His didactics include Principles of Drug Design and Drug Action, Physicochemical Basis of Drug Action, Principles of Biopharmaceutical Analysis, Advanced Organic Synthesis, Dissertation Research, Thesis Research, Independent Problems in Pharmaceutical Sciences, Pharmaceutical Science Research.
Kumari Kavita Sharma
PhD
Assistant Professor
BPSCI
Office: 253
Leonard Hall
Pocatello Campus
Bioanalytical Chemistry • Natural Products • Pharmaceutical Sciences • Fundamentals of
Pharmacology and Biological Assays
Kavita Sharma is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences at the College of Pharmacy, Idaho State University. She earned her PhD in Molecular Biotechnology from Konkuk University in South Korea.
An experienced researcher specializing in mass spectrometry, Dr. Sharma is deeply involved in metabolomics and proteomics studies. She has pioneered methodologies and workflows for analyzing complex metabolites and peptides from diverse matrices, including tissues, blood, serum, plasma, drugs, medicinal plant extracts, and intracellular and extracellular microbial cultures. She teaches PharmD and graduate students about Physicochemical Basis of Drug Action, Musculoskeletal Module, Endocrine Module, Critical Literature Review, and Principle of Biopharmaceutical Analysis. Dr. Sharma is an active advisor to the molecular research and core facility at ISU. Her specific research interests include identifying, isolating, and characterizing bioactive compounds from natural products. Additionally, Dr. Sharma is interested in conducting molecular-level studies to identify the impact of GABA-producing microbiota on healthy aging and neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease. Specifically, her research focuses on identifying biomarker metabolites and proteins to gain mechanistic insights into the underexplored role of probiotics in aging-associated risk factors.
Dr. Sharma's research involves using advanced mass spectrometry techniques to identify and quantify metabolites and proteins that are associated with the beneficial effects of GABA-producing probiotics. She is also investigating the molecular mechanisms by which these probiotics exert their effects, such as by modulating inflammation, oxidative stress, and neurotransmitter levels. By understanding these mechanisms, Dr. Sharma hopes to develop novel probiotic therapies for the prevention and treatment of age-related diseases.
Solomon Tadesse Zeleke
BPharm, MSc, PhD
Assistant Professor
BPSCI
Office: 255
Leonard Hall
Pocatello Campus
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
Research Assistant Professor
Seyedeh Melika Akaberi
PharmD, PhD
Research Assistant Professor
BPSCI
Office: 758A
Sam and Aline Skaggs Health Science Center
Meridian Campus
Dr. Akaberi is a Research Assistant Professor and Lecturer in the Department of Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences at Idaho State University. She is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences under the mentorship of Dr. Marvin Schulte and Dr.Kavita Sharma. Her research focuses on the interaction between viral proteins and nicotinic acetylcholine receptors, aiming to advance understanding of virus-mediated neurological disorders and support the development of preventative therapeutic strategies for neurodegenerative diseases.
Dr. Akaberi earned her Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) from Azad University, Tehran Medical Sciences, where she conducted research on biologic therapies for dermatologic and wound healing applications. Her multidisciplinary research portfolio spans molecular pharmacology, neuropharmacology, skin biology, and drug development, and she has co-authored several peer-reviewed publications in both clinical and basic science journals.
Sarah Hobdey
PhD
Research Assistant Professor
BPSCI
Dr. Hobdey earned her B.S. in Microbiology from Idaho State University, where she also competed on the Women’s Soccer team. She went on to obtain her Ph.D. in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology from Colorado State University and completed postdoctoral training at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory before returning home to Idaho. Dr. Hobdey's research is focused on the development of novel therapies and diagnostics for life-threatening necrotizing soft tissue infections (NSTIs). In progress towards that goal, she and her team have developed three patent-pending fully human monoclonal antibodies capable of neutralizing streptolysin O, a key toxin produced by Group A Streptococcus. In addition to her role at Idaho State University, Dr. Hobdey is an Associate Research Scientist at the Boise VA Medical Center, where she maintains an active research laboratory.
Lecturer
Rob Myers
RPh, PhD
Lecturer
BPSCI
Compounding • Dosage Forms • Pharmaceutics • Pharmaceutical Development
Dr. Myers has a BS degree in Pharmacy, a MS degree in Pharmaceutical Chemistry and a PhD in Pharmaceutical Chemistry from the University of Kansas. He is licensed as a Registered Pharmacist in the state of Idaho. With experience in academic teaching, retail pharmacy, pharmacy compounding, regulatory affairs, and pharmaceutical development/manufacturing, Dr. Myers holds a unique view of pharmaceutical products, their development, and regulatory approval. His experience includes developing and evaluating a variety of drug products including: various ophthalmic products, inhalation solutions, sterile injections, suspensions, delayed release capsules, dry powder inhalers, and nasal sprays.
Dr. Myers has more than 25 years of experience in the pharmaceutical industry focused mainly on activities dealing with Chemistry, Manufacturing, and Controls (CMC) issues for IND, NDA, and ANDA submissions. His activities have been mainly focused on: pre-formulation, formulation, scale-up, process development, pharmaceutical product safety data sheets (SDS), health hazard assessments, regulatory submission authoring and project planning. He has interacted with the FDA on various CMC issues at various development stages in face-to-face meetings, telephone conferences, and written communications. Dr. Myers also has more than 12 years of experience working as a compounding pharmacist and is the co-owner of a 503B Outsourcing Facility.
He is an assistant professor in the Biomedical & Pharmaceutical Sciences Department. His teaching responsibilities include dosage form design, compounding, pharmaceutical calculations, pharmacokinetics, and portions of modules and Capstone. Dr. Myers also oversees the extemporaneous compounding lab.