Renzo Berna, founder and former CEO of Gnosis, passed away unexpectedly on November 11, 2024. He is survived by his wife Valeria and his loving family, including son Marco and two grandchildren, as well as by friends and colleagues who loved and admired him.

Renzo and Marco Berna

Gnosis is an Italian biotechnology company founded in 1989 that specialized in the development, manufacturing and sale of fermentation-derived ingredients and natural finished products for use in the pharmaceutical, nutraceutical, veterinary and cosmetic industries. In a tribute to Renzo, friend and industry colleague Jarrow Rogovin shared memories of a generous mentor who built Gnosis into a global company along with his son Marco and his friend Paolo Malesani.

Among Renzo's pioneering contributions to the natural products industry: The company manufactured and introduced a number of products, including SAMe, vitamin K2 (menaquinone), 5-MTHF (Quatrefolic, reduced folic acid), and S. boulardii. 

Jarrow Rogovin with Renzo BernaRegarding 5-MTHF, Rogovin shared, "The introduction of this key methyl-donor molecule made nutrition history in terms of improving people’s health and reducing the risk of certain types of birth defects and other benefits. Quatrefolic, Gnosis’ name for the product, dropped the cost per kilo 90% and made it affordable."

Gnosis and Jarrow Formulas collaborated on the stability of Gnosis’ yeast product, S. boulardii. Another Gnosis project was vitamin K2, menaquinone. "Luca Tiano’s research group in the biochemistry department at the University in Ancona did a study combining K2 with vitamin D," Rogovin added. "The result was a synergistic increase in osteocalcin, crucial for bone strength."

In the process of developing these ingredients, Rogovin says, "Gnosis broke the monopoly of Merck on reduced folate and made it affordable, improving the health of millions of people. Gnosis broke the Abbott monopoly at the time on SAMe, and broadly introduced SAMe to the U.S. health food market."

In 2018, Gnosis sold to Lesaffre. In a press release issued at the time, Renzo shared, "Developing Gnosis has been an exciting challenge. After 25 years, Gnosis has become a reference on the market able to design and manufacture fermentation purified metabolites as Health Care Active Ingredients for the nutraceutical and pharmaceutical markets.”

Renzo Berna's positive impact on the industry as a whole, as well as on those who worked with him over the decades and those who have benefitted from the company's ingredients and products, will not be forgotten.

Honoring Those Who Make the Difference

Remembering industry leaders