NORWOOD, MA, and COLCHESTER, VT – CitraChem, Corp., inventor of the world’s leading medicinal chemistry platform for producing semi-synthetic phytocannabinoids without agricultural material, announced it is sponsoring a Saint Michael’s College chemistry professor, Dr. Mark Scialdone, to perform specific research on behalf of CitraChem.
Mark Scialdone
This new industry and academic partnership is a beneficial avenue for CitraChem to advance its cutting-edge work while also enhancing the experiences of Saint Michael’s community members, both academically and professionally.
“Saint Michael’s College students and faculty both benefit from this partnership because it provides a great model for use-inspired research in which our community members can tap into Professor Scialdone’s expertise and industry sponsors benefit from the College’s state-of-the-art lab facilities for its innovative research,” said Provost Gretchen Galbraith, Saint Michael’s Vice President for Academic Affairs. “This new partnership also aligns well with our recent receipt of the EPiiC grant from the National Science Foundation, as it further builds our capacity for regional partnerships across the innovation ecosystem. It’s a win-win for everyone involved.”
This new partnership will allow CitraChem to reach its goals more efficiently by expanding its team in a unique way. The College has a rigorous undergraduate research program in which students work closely with their professors on important and groundbreaking research, helping address some of the most pressing current scientific questions.
“While our company planned to add personnel down the road, bringing on someone with Mark’s expertise to our team now means we can accelerate our ability to bring active ingredients to drug development companies and researchers,” said CitraChem’s CEO James Winokur. “That acceleration could really only happen because Saint Michael’s is actively looking for industry-sponsored programs, has the faculty, students, and chemistry department to support business needs, and is willing to tailor programs to the specific requirements of the sponsor.”
In addition to funding its specific program, CitraChem is also providing an unrestricted gift to the College to support St. Mike’s more broadly.
Chemistry Professor Mark Scialdone in the lab in fall 2025. (Courtesy Mark Scialdone)
About CitraChem Corp.
CitraChem, a chemical Contract Research Organization (cCRO) with its own patent-pending process platform, was founded on the discoveries of its CSO and inventor, Jason Kingsbury, Ph.D. The firm uses concise and highly controllable chemistry processes that mimic how Nature constructs single isomer cannabinoids, yielding molecules botanically identical to those found in cannabis and hemp plants. By leveraging its platform, beginning with readily available materials, the outcome is a range of ingredients that are ultra-pure, consistently high-quality, and abundantly available for use in consumer products and pharmaceuticals. The company’s first molecule, Cannabigerol (CBG), validated the platform’s ability to produce molecules at scale and at high purity. Independent lab analyses verified CitraChem’s CBG is 100% pure. CitraChem also attracts custom synthesis partnerships to expand the generality of its platform to access phytocannabinoid derivatives as therapeutic agents.
About Saint Michael’s College
Saint Michael’s College, founded in 1904 on principles of social justice and leading lives of purpose and consequence, is a selective, Catholic college just outside Burlington, Vermont, one of the country’s best college towns. Located between the Green Mountains and Lake Champlain, our closely connected community guarantees housing for all four years and delivers an internationally respected liberal arts education, preparing students for fulfilling careers and meaningful lives. Young adults here grow intellectually, socially, and morally, learning to lead with empathy and professionalism, and to be responsible for themselves, each other, and their world.
Media contacts:
- James Winokur, CEO of CitraChem, Corp — jwinokur@citrachem.com.
- Elizabeth Murray, Saint Michael’s College Associate Director of Communications — emurray@smcvt.edu.
For all press inquiries contact Elizabeth Murray, Associate Director of Communications at Saint Michael's College.
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