Dyadic Makes A Strategic Shift In Leadership To Refocus On High-Demand Ancillary Proteins In Life Sciences, Nutrition, And Industrial Use

Dyadic International, Inc. has announced a leadership change as part of its ongoing strategic efforts to transform into a revenue-generating company focused on supplying ancillary recombinant protein products for the life sciences, nutrition, and industrial markets. As part of this transition, the company’s Board of Directors has appointed Joe Hazelton as President, effective immediately. He will also continue serving as Chief Operating Officer.

Over the past year and a half, Dyadic has shifted its business strategy to emphasize near-term commercialization in high-growth, high-value areas such as cell culture media, DNA/RNA technologies, and non-animal food and nutrition ingredients. This strategic pivot has been supported by successful commercial partnerships and transactions. 

These include a collaboration with Proliant Health and Biologicals to develop and commercialize recombinant human albumin, a partnership with a non-animal dairy enzyme company, and a joint venture with Fermbox Bio. This joint venture led to the creation of EN3ZYME, which recently secured a major purchase order in the cellulosic enzyme market.

Mark Emalfarb, Dyadic’s Founder and Chief Executive Officer, stated, “We believe the achievement of these milestones validates our strategy and reflects the growing demand for ancillary recombinant proteins. We previously communicated an initial focus in the ancillary protein space, we have successfully executed on key initial agreements, and now we are reaffirming that focus by aligning our leadership team to accelerate growth. Joe’s appointment as President ensures focused and prioritized execution across Dyadic’s technical, operational and commercial efforts.”

Joe Hazelton, Dyadic’s President and COO, mentioned, “We see this as a pivotal moment for Dyadic. We’ve proven the commercial readiness of our platforms with valuable partnerships and revenue. Now we’re aligning our organization to scale and expand across the life sciences, food, and nutrition markets. I look forward to working with our leadership team to work to accelerate this momentum, drive operational execution, and deliver tangible value to our shareholders.”

In his new role as President, Mr. Hazelton will lead the company’s efforts to expand scientific and commercial activities, strengthen partnerships, oversee daily operations, and ensure smooth execution of its business strategy. He will also play a key role in Dyadic’s corporate rebranding as the company positions itself more prominently in the ancillary protein space. The company’s C1 and Dapibus™ platforms remain central to its strategy, offering scalable, high-yield production of recombinant proteins across several non-therapeutic applications.

While the majority of the company’s focus will now be directed toward its ancillary protein business, Dyadic will continue to support its legacy biopharmaceutical programs. Mark Emalfarb will remain Chief Executive Officer and a member of the Board of Directors, with continued responsibility for overseeing legacy projects, investment efforts, and intellectual property strategy.

Joe Hazelton joined Dyadic in 2021 as Chief Business Officer and was promoted to Chief Operating Officer in 2024. He brings over 20 years of leadership experience in biotechnology commercialization, having held senior roles at Dyadic and previously at Novartis, with a strong background in driving strategic execution and business growth.