Our Mission

Houston Enzymes creates expertly formulated enzyme products that provide the help you need for digestive wellness.

Devin Houston Ph.D.

Incorporator and CEO of Houston Nutraceuticals Inc./Houston Enzymes

Dr. Houston obtained a B.A. degree in Biology from Hendrix College in 1979. He then was awarded a B.S. degree in Medical Science in 1980 and a Ph.D. in Biochemistry from the University of South Alabama College of Medicine in 1987.

Dr. Houston's graduate work focused on how the aging process affected certain enzyme systems.

Following the defense of his thesis work, Dr. Houston accepted a post-doctoral position at the University of Virginia where he became involved in several fields of research, including ligand-receptor interactions of the adenosine receptor, diabetes, and mechanisms of how cells respond to environmental signals. Dr. Houston's work was funded by the American Heart Association.

In 1990, Dr. Houston accepted a position at Saint Louis University School of Medicine. While there, he obtained the position of Assistant Professor in the Department of Pharmacology and Physiology. His research focus was on characterizing the cannabinoid (marihuana) receptor as a possible model for Alzheimer's research. Dr. Houston's work was funded by several grants from the National Institutes of Health. He published several peer-reviewed papers, as well as presenting his finding at several symposia.

In 1997, Dr. Houston left academia for industry, and accepted a position as Manager of Research and Development at National Enzyme Company. While there, he upgraded the existing lab and instituted more advanced methods of analysis. Instrumental in new product development, he is the formulator and inventor of SerenAid(tm), which started the interest in using enzymes to counter certain food intolerances. In March of 2000, Dr. Houston left National Enzyme and became a scientific consultant to the dietary supplement industry prior to founding Houston Nutraceuticals, Inc., doing business as Houston Enzymes. Since then, he has formulated second- and third-generation enzyme products that address many digestive issues.

Research Articles by Dr. Houston

1. Howlett AC, Wilken GH, Pigg JJ, Houston DB, Lan R, Liu Q, Makriyannis A. Azido- and isothiocyanato-substituted aryl pyrazoles bind covalently to the CB1 cannabinoid receptor and impair signal transduction. J Neurochem. 2000 May;74(5):2174-81.
2. Mukhopadhyay S, McIntosh HH, Houston DB, Howlett AC. The CB(1) cannabinoid receptor juxtamembrane C-terminal peptide confers activation to specific G proteins in brain. Mol Pharmacol. 2000 Jan;57(1):162-70.
3. Houston DB, Howlett AC. Differential receptor-G-protein coupling evoked by dissimilar cannabinoid receptor agonists. Cell Signal. 1998 Oct;10(9):667-74.
4. Huang LC, Fonteles MC, Houston DB, Zhang C, Larner J. Chiroinositol deficiency and insulin resistance. III. Acute glycogenic and hypoglycemic effects of two inositol phosphoglycan insulin mediators in normal and streptozotocin-diabetic rats in vivo. Endocrinology. 1993 Feb;132(2):652-7.
5. Houston DB, Howlett AC. Solubilization of the cannabinoid receptor from rat brain and its functional interaction with guanine nucleotide-binding proteins. Mol Pharmacol. 1993 Jan;43(1):17-22.
6. Charalambous A, Yan G, Houston DB, Howlett AC, Compton DR, Martin BR, Makriyannis A. 5'-Azido-delta 8-THC: a novel photoaffinity label for the cannabinoid receptor. J Med Chem. 1992 Aug 7;35(16):3076-9.
7. Houston DB, Howlett AC. Solubilization of the cannabinoid receptor from rat brain membranes. Ann N Y Acad Sci. 1992 Jun 28;654:448-50.
8. Larner J, Romero G, Kennington AS, Lilley K, Kilgour E, Zhang C, Heimark D, Gamez G, Houston DB, Huang LC. Duality in the mechanism of action of insulin. Adv Second Messenger Phosphoprotein Res. 1990;24:290-4.