About MBC

In addition to managing business efforts at the Midwest Bioprocessing Center, Dr. Demirjian is President and CEO of zuChem, Inc. Prior to founding zuChem, Dr. Demirjian was previously President and Co-Founder of ThermoGen, Inc.—a bioprocessing company that pioneered several chiral biocatalysis technologies for pharmaceutical applications. He is a previous winner of the Research Director’s Association of Chicago “Entrepreneur of the Year Award” (1997) and recipient of the U.S. SBA “Tibbets Award” for successful commercialization of technology developed under the Federal SBIR grant program. Dr. Demirjian became VP of Technology Strategy for MediChem Life Sciences after their acquisition of ThermoGen (May 2000) and oversaw the development of MediChem’s R&D technology platform. Dr. Demirjian helped lead MediChem’s $52MM IPO (Oct. 2000) and was a Director until its acquisition by deCODE Genetics (May 2002). He holds a Ph.D. in Genetics from The University of Chicago and a B.S.A. from the University of Michigan.

Dr. Leila Aminova specializes in the genetics—molecular biology, enzymology, and protein engineering of genes—important in carbohydrate synthesis and modification. Prior to joining the Midwest Bioprocessing Center, Dr. Aminova worked at zuChem since 2010 developing methods for the large-scale production of activated sugars and oligosaccharides. Dr. Aminova received her MSc in Genetics from Kazan State University (Russia) and her PhD in Microbiology from the Russian Academy of Sciences (Pushchino, Russia, 1998) on the Biochemistry and Physiology of Mutants of Methylotrophic Yeasts. Her postdoctoral work in the Department of Microbiology at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign was related to the effect of bacterial toxins on the cell cycle and cellular pathway on different cell lines. From 2001-2004, Dr. Aminova worked at the Harvard Medical School in the Department of Neuroscience of the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. In 2004, she returned to the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and the study of bacterial toxins on cell differentiation and cellular pathways.

Dr. Turner brings almost 20 years of industrial experience in genetic engineering and prokaryotic protein expression to Midwest Bioprocessing Center. He is a skilled molecular/synthetic biologist with broad experience in a wide variety of microorganisms (E. coli, B. subtilis, P. putida, A. baylyi, cyanobacteria, methylotrophs and yeasts). Notable successes have included the economical, scalable manufacture of performance chemicals and biofuel feedstock production, as well as the development of synthetic biology technologies. Dr. Turner has a successful track record of managing teams and executing internal and external projects in synthetic biology, biocatalysis, protein expression, and fermentation technologies. Dr. Turner did postdoctoral research with Professor Paul Schimmel at both MIT (Cambridge, MA) and The Scripps Research Institute (La Jolla, CA). He received his Ph.D. in Biochemistry in 1996 from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign and his B.S. in Biochemistry in 1990 from Illinois Benedictine College in Lisle, IL.

Dr. Arampath specializes in computational bioinformatics at Midwest Bioprocessing Center, where he applies machine learning to enzyme engineering and novel molecule design. His current work focuses on computational approaches to engineer enzyme variants for improved performance, as well as generative and predictive models for small molecules. During his graduate studies at the University of Iowa, Dr. Arampath conducted research on deep learning architectures for predicting molecular properties and on the de novo generation of optimised molecules using generative deep learning models. He received his Ph.D. in Applied Mathematical and Computational Sciences from the University of Iowa in 2025, an M.S. in Mathematics from the University of Iowa in 2021, and a B.S. in Computational Mathematics and Finance from the University of Colombo, Sri Lanka in 2017.

Garris Radloff is a Project Manager and Research Technician at MBC, where he has worked since initially joining as an intern. he specializes in analytical chemistry focusing on sugar separation and Ferulishield projects. Garris plays a pivotal role in developing analytical methods for time-sensitive reactions and has contributed significantly to securing new projects and scaling up production. Garris also collaborates with external researchers and works closely with various teams within MBC to drive innovation and environmental impact. With a Bachelor’s degree in Chemistry and Geology from Earlham College,

Irek Aminov has been with Midwest Bioprocessing Center (MBC) since 2015, bringing a diverse background in Mechanics, Mathematics, and Computer Technology. He specializes in fermentation systems, starting his journey with sugars and protein purifications, then advancing to HPLC analysis and troubleshooting. Currently, Irek focuses on maintaining and setting up key lab equipment like the BioFlo IV 10-liter fermenter and Agilent 1100 LC with an RI detector. His expertise primarily supports the zuCarb™ and Bioprocess Services brands, contributing significantly to MBC’s mission.

Shama Khan is a key member of the Midwest Bioprocessing Center (MBC) technical team. Shama specializes in fermentation and protein purification, currently focusing on chemical and enzyme production for MBC’s zuCarb™ and bioprocess services. She previously joined zuChem in 2003 where she helped innovate processes such as streamlining the xylitol fermentation process. She holds a B.Sc. and B.Ed., both with a focus on Biology and Chemistry.

Elena Chaikin is the Marketing Manager of Midwest Bioprocessing Center. She has an MA in PR & Advertising and a Marketing MBA from DePaul University, as well as a BA in Creative Writing from Columbia College Chicago.

At MBC, Elena oversees social media, content strategy, and marketing efforts for FeruliShield, zuCarb, and bioprocessing services, driving brand awareness and engagement. She brings experience from Puck Creative Group in Los Angeles, where she worked on content-driven advertising campaigns with industry leaders. Her focus is on positioning MBC as an innovator in biotechnology and sustainable solutions.

Dr. Dodds is an industry consultant who was most recently Director of Fermentation & Biocatalysis Development at Bristol-Myers Squibb and held positions at Sepracor, and Schering-Plough. He has a B.Sc. in Biochemistry, an M.Sc. in Biological Chemistry, and a Ph.D. in Organic Synthesis all from the University of Toronto.

Mark Chandler runs ACT Solutions Corp, a formulation design consultancy and laboratory serving cosmetic and topical pharmaceutical industries. He nearly 40 years of industry experience, most recently serving as Skin Care Applications Manager for Croda Inc. He was the President of the Society of Cosmetic Chemists in 2023. Mr. Chandler received his BSc from the Universi ty of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.

A founding partner of Medical Dermatology Associates of Chicago and the founding Director of the Chicago Integrative Eczema Center.  He received his medical degree from Harvard Medical School, completed his internship in Pediatrics at Boston Children’s Hospital, and his Dermatology training at Harvard where he served as Chief Resident in Dermatology.

Dr. Lio’s special interests include pediatric dermatology, eczema, and other inflammatory diseases of the skin, and he works to integrate alternative and complementary medicines in dermatology. He serves as a board member and scientific advisory committee member emeritus for the National Eczema Association. He is a member of the American Academy of Dermatology’s Atopic Dermatitis Expert Resource Group, a Councilor for the International Eczema Council, and is a founding faculty member of the Integrative Dermatology Certificate Program. He has over 400 publications and has been involved in the development and testing of many exciting dermatology products.

Anthony Vargas is a Cosmetics Scientist, Innovator and Consultant who has been involved in the Cosmetics R&D for over 30 years. Mr. Vargas was the former VP of R&D at Elizabeth Arden, Manager of the Skin Care Treatment Lab at Unilever, and a Chemist at Avon Cosmetics.

Ray Willis has a 45-year background in start-up ventures, international business, and federal relations. Past positions include ARCH Development, The University of Chicago, iSoy Technologies (Founder/President), zuChem (Co-founder/VP), Medichem Life Sciences, and ThermoGen. He received his BA from the University of Colorado, Boulder and his MA at the Graduate Faculty of the New School for Social Research.

Dr. Racine is an expert in Fermentation. He previously worked as Director of Fermentation for both the Midwest Bioprocessing Center and zuChem, Inc. He is an expert in fermentation optimization and scale-up and process engineering with over 20 years of industrial experience. From 1982-1989, Dr. Racine worked at Enzyme Technologies Corporation where he directed programs for improving bacterial and fungal strains for production of commercially important enzymes for starch processing. From 1989 – 2002, he managed process optimization activities at Genencor International, including fermentation technology development and strain development. Dr. Racine received his Ph.D. in Microbiology in 1974 from the University of Virginia School of Medicine, Charlottesville and his B.S. in Biology in 1969 from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University in Blacksburg, Virginia.

Dr. Pero specializes in organic synthesis, specifically with carbohydrate and glycomimetic chemistry and also runs the Company’s feruloyl glycerides production. During his graduate studies, Dr. Pero investigated therapeutic alternatives to antibiotics by synthesizing carbohydrate mimetics for two pathogenic lectins – FimH in uropathogenic ¬E. coli and Fap2 in F. nucleatum. Dr. Pero brings an in-depth understanding of infection initiation and the role that carbohydrates play in the interaction between the host and pathogen. He received a Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry from the University of Connecticut in 2022 and a B.S. in Biochemistry from Saginaw Valley State University in 2017.