Enzon Inc. gains ground in a growing industry with its innovative approach for enhancing the efficacy and durability of medicine
Abraham Abuchowski was a Rutgers University biochemistry graduate student in the 1970s when his adviser set him to work on an inert polymer called polyethylene glycol (PEG).

Abe Abuchowski, 42, runs his company the way he teaches karate classes. The cofounder and CEO of Enzon Inc. in South Plainfield, N.J., Abuchowski got hooked on the martial art while an undergraduate at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, N.J., where he pursued his belts with the same vigor as he pursued his B.S. degree in biology and chemistry. Remaining at Rutgers for graduate study in biochemistry, Abuchowski eventually a second-degree black belt taught biochemistry students by day and eager karate disciples by night.

Karate classes and a biomedical company may seem worlds apart, but Abuchowski sees an intimate connection. "I use my...

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