ELGIN, ILL. – Amano Enzyme USA Co. Ltd. and the University of Minnesota will sponsor an enzyme technology symposium on May 5 at the McNamara Alumni Center on the University of Minnesota campus in Minneapolis. Academic researchers and industry professionals from North America and Japan will speak at the event.

The symposium will explore the role enzymes play in sustainability and the economic benefits they bring, said Romas J. Kazlauskas, PhD, a professor in biochemistry molecular biology and biophysics at the University of Minnesota.

“We will be looking at a variety of topics, from the cutting-edge technology used in designing targeted enzymes to how they can best be applied in a wide variety of food products,” said Shotaro Yamaguchi, chief technology officer for Amano Enzyme, Inc. “Amano has been sponsoring symposia around the world in Japan, Europe, China and Asia-Pacific region. While this will be our first US symposium, we hope to make it a regular event as part of our commitment to on-going enzyme research and sharing the resulting knowledge with our partners around the globe.”

Participants include:

  • Ann S Meyer, PhD, professor, Technical University of Denmark
  • B. Pam Ismail, PhD, director, PPIC, University of Minnesota
  • Emma Master, PhD, professor, University of Toronto
  • Gregg Whited, PhD, senior principal scientist, IFF Laureate, International Flavors & Fragrances, Inc.
  • Jun Ogawa, PhD, professor, Kyoto University
  • Keita Okuda, PhD, assistant manager, Amano Enzyme, Inc.
  • Stefan Lutz, PhD, senior vice president research, Codexis, Inc.
  • Todd Hyster, PhD, associate professor, Cornell University
  • Tomoko Matsuda, PhD, associate professor, Tokyo Institute of Technology.