ST. LOUIS (February 20, 2008) – Akermin, Inc., an innovative technology company commercializing a proprietary breakthrough in biocatalysis, today announced the appointment of industry veteran Rich Zvosec to the position of Vice President of Business Development. Zvosec will report to Akermin President and CEO Louis Hruska.
In his new role, Zvosec will lead the company’s program to establish partnerships to develop and commercialize biocatalytic processes for the manufacture of food products and pharmaceutical intermediates, and the creation of energy efficient biofuel cells. Akermin’s groundbreaking enzyme stabilization technology will improve the competitiveness of enzymes as alternatives to expensive metal catalysts in today’s $18 billion global catalyst market. From enabling long-lasting biofuel cells to making the production of food products easier and less expensive, Akermin’s proprietary technology maximizes the utility and flexibility of enzymes as catalysts.
Zvosec brings to Akermin a strong strategic and technical understanding of the biocatalysis and clean energy markets. He has significant experience in identifying and evaluating business development opportunities and in bringing these to fruition directly and through selected business alliances.
“With his small and large company experience, Rich will add a valuable new dimension both to the company’s biofuel power systems and its biocatalytic processes,” said Hruska. “We are confident that Rich will contribute significantly to the future development of Akermin.”
A veteran of the biotech and nanotech fields with 25 years of experience, Zvosec most recently spearheaded sales and business development efforts for NanoProducts Corp., a Colorado company engaged in the development, manufacture, and sale of multi-metal oxide nanopowders and dispersions. He also led an industrial biotech development effort at Cargill focused on the conversion of sugars to novel chemical entities using metabolic pathway engineering.
“Akermin’s proprietary enzyme stabilization technology promises to change the way biocatalysis is employed in the food, pharmaceutical, and specialty chemical industries. By broadening the range of operating conditions and extending the utility of enzymes, we can expect to significantly grow the use of enzymes as chemical catalysts,” said Zvosec. “My goal is to show companies in the bioprocess industries the value inherent in Akermin’s technology. Through joint development partnerships we will help them develop and deploy the technology in new and existing processes.”
Akermin has an exclusive worldwide license and pending patents to the stabilized enzyme catalyst technology invented at Saint Louis University. The company is adding to this intellectual property position through filings stemming from its own research and development and has ongoing exclusive rights to all ongoing developments in this field.
ABOUT AKERMIN
Akermin is a biocatalyst technologies company that has developed a unique polymer encapsulation system that immobilizes enzymes, stabilizes their performance and extends their operating life. This platform technology enables the development of special purpose, low-cost fuel cells and “bio-batteries”. It also demonstrates the potential to increase efficiency, reduce processing costs and add value in various food, chemical and pharmaceutical production processes.
