In Loving Memory of Sergey Degtyarev, Founder of SibEnzyme
Novosibirsk, May 5, 2026
— It is with deep sorrow that we announce that Sergey Degtyarev, founder of SibEnzyme, Doctor of Biological Sciences, Professor, scientist, mentor, and a person who devoted his life to the advancement of molecular biology, passed away today.
Sergey made an immense contribution to global science. One of the main areas of his research was the search for, study, characterization, and practical application of enzymes capable of recognizing and cleaving DNA with high specificity. Today, these restriction-modification systems are among the most important tools in molecular biology, genetic engineering, and DNA diagnostics worldwide.
Epigenetics held a special place among his scientific interests. Sergey saw it as a natural continuation and development of genetic science. He believed that epigenetics would provide new keys to understanding oncological processes, aging, and age-associated diseases. In recent years, he worked tirelessly to create tools for this field — enzymes, methods, and approaches that would allow researchers to see not only DNA sequences, but also their functional state.
Sergey Degtyarev gained extensive scientific and business experience in the United States, working with the team at New England Biolabs and personally with Donald Comb. He saw how a business could be built in which the production of research tools was combined with fundamental science, and commercial success served the development of new ideas, methods, and research directions.
Sergey returned to Russia and founded SibEnzyme on the same principles. The company became a sustainable form of scientific work — a place where research, production, and responsibility to the scientific community support and strengthen one another. Sergey’s scientific vision shaped the development of SibEnzyme as one of the few specialized manufacturers of restriction endonucleases and other tools for molecular biology research in the world.
Over 30 years of work, SibEnzyme has grown into a living scientific and production organism, where every process, every direction, and every decision rests on the team, the scientific school, and the continuity accumulated over the years. The company has brought together researchers and technologists for whom working with enzymes has become not merely a profession, but a life’s work.
We are grateful to him for his faith in science, his exacting standards, his courage in creating a world-class scientific company in Russia, and the path he opened for all of us. We continue to work reliably and consistently, preserving and developing the scientific and production principles to which he devoted his entire life.
We mourn together with his family, colleagues, and everyone who knew Sergey Kharitonovich, worked with him, and was inspired by his example.
May his memory be eternal.
