ZUCHEM

Founded in 2001, zuChem is a biotechnology company focused on developing and commercializing proprietary process technologies for manufacturing glycochemicals and carbohydrates. The company operates from Chicago, with research operations in Peoria, Illinois, stemming from an early collaboration with the US Department of Agriculture. The initial idea for the company originated when CEO and co-founder David Demirjian, Ph.D., recognized a critical market need for producing unusual sugars for the pharmaceutical industry, a challenge he faced in his previous role at MediChem Research. Dr. Demirjian, a geneticist with a Ph.D. from The University of Chicago, leads the company, leveraging his prior experience founding and leading ThermoGen, Inc., a bioprocess firm.

zuChem’s business model centers on creating scalable and cost-effective bioprocesses that combine enzymatic, fermentation, and synthetic biology techniques. These processes yield high-value carbohydrates that are often difficult or expensive to produce using traditional chemical methods. The company serves a diverse client base across the pharmaceutical, food and agriculture, and specialty chemical industries. Revenue is generated through strategic partnerships, technology licensing, and direct product sales. A notable partnership includes a joint venture with Quianyan Alloy Materials, named NaturSweet Natural Products LLC, to produce and market bio-based xylitol manufactured in a facility in China.

The company's core offering is its technology platform that produces specialty sugars and their derivatives. For the pharmaceutical sector, these glycochemicals are crucial components for developing new antibiotics, as well as antiviral and anticancer drugs. For the food and nutrition market, zuChem develops alternative sweeteners and prebiotics, such as xylitol and D-mannitol. A key product line is the zuCarb™ Activated Sugars catalog, which provides rare and modified sugars for research purposes. In 2019, zuChem spun off its rare sugar and oligosaccharide technology platform into a new entity, the Midwest Bioprocessing Center, to further commercialize the zuCarb™ product line.

Keywords: glycochemical manufacturing, carbohydrate chemistry, bioprocess technology, specialty sugars, fermentation process, pharmaceutical intermediates, alternative sweeteners, xylitol production, D-mannitol, food ingredients, biocatalysis, synthetic biology, rare sugars, human nutrition, zuCarb, David Demirjian, Midwest Bioprocessing Center, NaturSweet, carbohydrate synthesis, specialty chemicals