Photo Courtesy of Hackensack Meridian Health From left are William Evans, executive director of the Center for Discovery and Innovation; Rich Henning, senior vice president of communications of SUEZ Water; David S. Perlin, chief scientific officer of the CDI; Nadine Leslie, CEO of SUEZ North America; and Joseph Burt, executive director of Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine and Hackensack Meridian Health Foundation.
From left are William Evans, executive director of the Center for Discovery and Innovation; Rich Henning, senior vice president of communications of SUEZ Water; David S. Perlin, chief scientific officer of the CDI; Nadine Leslie, CEO of SUEZ North America; and Joseph Burt, executive director of Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine and Hackensack Meridian Health Foundation.
NUTLEY, NJ — Hackensack Meridian Health Foundation announced the receipt of a gift of $100,000 from SUEZ North America to support clinical research at Hackensack Meridian Center for Discovery and Innovation in Nutley.
“We thank our friends and partners at SUEZ North America for their continued generosity, especially as we continue to battle against COVID-19,’’ Hackensack Meridian Health CEO Robert C. Garrett said. “Our scientists at the Center for Discovery and Innovation have been on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic and they continue to make extraordinary strides in the fight against the virus, cancer and other diseases, and we are incredibly grateful.”
The CDI is an academic-based entrepreneurial center that harnesses innovations arising from a new renaissance in biomedical sciences to restore patient health. It comprises the Institute for Cancer and Infectious Diseases, the Institute for Multiple Myeloma and Lymphoma, and the Institute of Restorative Health.
“At Hackensack Meridian Health, the Center for Discovery and Innovation has been at the heart of medical advancement during the COVID-19 pandemic,” SUEZ North America CEO Nadine Leslie said. “The Center for Discovery and Innovation’s work on vaccines, diagnostic testing and therapeutics has fueled the advances that will improve public health and outcomes for New Jersey patients today and in the future. Our team at SUEZ North America understands the importance of this ongoing work, and is proud to help fund research necessary for all of us to keep getting better.”
Since 2020, the CDI has made major beneficial developments in regard to the COVID-19 pandemic, including the development of the first rapid-response COVID-19 test in New Jersey. It has also partnered with Hackensack Meridian Health experts to conduct clinical trials for convalescent plasma therapy, which identified patients who recovered from the virus and produced high levels of antibodies.
As the virus evolved, scientists at the CDI have continually tracked the emerging variants of the virus to keep track of what is happening at the Hackensack Meridian Health sites across New Jersey. They have played a critical role in impacting clinical care through development of novel diagnostics, improved antiviral therapy and support of numerous clinical trial regimens. Scientists are also studying the biology and genomics of the COVID-19 virus, host factors that impact disease progression and the discovery and development of novel drug candidates.
“The confidence that our communities and corporate partners continue to have in our abilities is truly inspiring,” CDI chief scientific officer David S. Perlin said. “We thank SUEZ North America for this gift, which will surely support our efforts to continue fighting the COVID-19 pandemic and further pioneering discoveries in cancer and other infectious diseases.”
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