Management Team
Meet the dedicated team of scientists, researchers, and professionals driving Avenzour Pharmaceuticals forward.
Stephen Thesing
Chief Executive Officer

Stephen Thesing serves as the Chief Executive Officer of Avenzoar Pharmaceuticals, bringing over a decade of leadership and business development experience in the life sciences industry. Before joining Avenzoar, Stephen was Chief Business Officer at Calidi Biotherapeutics, where he played a pivotal role in driving the company’s growth and strategic direction. Under his leadership, Calidi secured early-stage, Series A, and Series B financings, including public listing activities, while establishing critical biopharma collaborations and licensing agreements.
Stephen joined Calidi in 2016 and held various senior leadership roles before his promotion to CBO in 2019, including Chief Operating Officer and Senior Vice President of Corporate Development and Operations. During this time, he successfully integrated Calidi’s European subsidiary, StemVac GmbH, into the company, serving as Managing Director for StemVac.
With extensive expertise in strategic licensing, deal-making, and scaling high-growth organizations, Stephen has built a reputation for executing transformative initiatives across multiple industries. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Business from California Polytechnic University, San Luis Obispo.
At Avenzoar Pharmaceuticals, Stephen is dedicated to advancing innovation and delivering impactful therapies to patients worldwide.
Stephen Pandol, M.D.
President, Chief Medical Officer & Co-Founder

Dr. Stephen Pandol is the Director of Basic and Translational Pancreas Research at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center and a Professor of Medicine at UCLA. Additionally, he is a staff member of the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Los Angeles. His previous appointments include positions at the National Institutes of Health and UC San Diego.
Dr. Pandol holds an undergraduate degree from UC Davis and a medical degree from St. Louis University School of Medicine. He is recognized as an international authority on pancreatic diseases and has authored numerous peer-reviewed publications. He also serves as a reviewer, editorial board member, and editor for several scientific journals.
Mouad Edderkaoui, PhD
Chief Scientific Officer & Co-Founder

Dr. Mouad Edderkaoui is a Research Scientist at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center and an Adjunct Associate Professor at UCLA.
His previous affiliations include The Wadsworth Veterans Administration Medical Center and UCLA. Dr. Edderkaoui earned a Master’s Degree from the Catholic University of Louvain in Belgium and a PhD in Cellular and Molecular Biology from Ernst-Moritz-Arndt University of Greifswald, Germany.