SUEZ North America Generously Donates $100,000 to Hackensack Meridian Health Foundation to Advance Research at the Center for Discovery and Innovation

Hackensack Meridian Health Foundation is pleased to announce a generous gift of $100,000 from SUEZ North America to support clinical research at Hackensack Meridian Center for Discovery and Innovation. 

“We thank our friends and partners at SUEZ North America for their continued generosity, especially as we continue to battle against COVID-19," said Robert C. Garrett, FACHE, CEO, Hackensack Meridian Health. “Our scientists at the Center for Discovery and Innovation have been on the frontlines 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 Center for Discovery and Innovation is an academic-based entrepreneurial center that rapidly 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,” said Nadine Leslie, CEO, SUEZ North America. “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 Center for Discovery and Innovation has made major developments in benefit 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 Center for Discovery and Innovation 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 SARS-CoV-2 virus, host factors that impact disease progression and discovery and development of novel drug candidates.

“The confidence that our communities and corporate partners continue to have in our abilities is truly inspiring,” said David S. Perlin, Ph.D., chief scientific officer, Center for Discovery and Innovation. “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.”

The Center for Discovery and Innovation is dedicated to preventing, reducing and curing acute and chronic diseases related to cancer, infectious diseases and other life-threatening and debilitating conditions. The CDI seeks to address some of society’s critical goals, from improving health and wellness to reducing health care costs and overcoming global health disparities. 

To learn more about the Center for Discovery and Innovation, contact Bill Evans, executive director, at william.evans@hmhn.org or to donate, click here. 

About SUEZ North America
SUEZ North America operates across all 50 states and Canada with 3,000 employees dedicated to environmental sustainability and smart and sustainable resource management. The company provides drinking water, wastewater and waste collection service to 6.7 million people on a daily basis; treats 560 million gallons of water and 460 million gallons of wastewater each day; delivers water treatment and advanced network solutions to 16,000 industrial and municipal sites; processes 160,000 tons of waste for recycling; rehabilitates and maintains water assets for more than 6,000 municipal and industrial customers; and manages $4.1 billion in total assets. The company posted revenues of $1.1 billion in 2019 and is a subsidiary of Paris-based SUEZ.