Aliasger Salem

Aliasger Salem is the Bighley Chair and Professor of Pharmaceutical Sciences at the University of Iowa College of Pharmacy. He researches the design of novel drugs (new and active molecular compounds) and gene delivery systems to target specific diseases and parts of the body, decrease side effects and increase efficacy.

The Salem Laboratory of Advanced Drug and Gene Delivery uses microfabrication — the creation of miniature structures — to develop devices that deliver drugs and genes into the body. His research group is exploring modified RNA and adenoviruses, both major components in the development of COVID-19 vaccines, and systems for improving the body’s response to tumors.

Salem is featured in several National Geographic articles discussing the science and development of COVID-19 vaccines. His work is published in academic journals including Nature Nanotechnology and the Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences. He is an associate editor for the AAPS Journal and regularly serves on grant review panels for organizations such as the American Cancer Society and the National Institutes for Health. He is an elected fellow of the American Association for Pharmaceutical Scientists and the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering.

Salem received a B.S. in chemistry from Aston University of Science and Technology in Birmingham, England; a Ph.D. in pharmacy at the University of Nottingham in England, and postdoctoral training at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.