A Hackensack Meridian Center for Discovery and Innovation (CDI) researcher was recently honored with the Research & Development Council of New Jersey’s inaugural Emerging Tech Award – the first such distinction for a scientist from Hackensack Meridian Health.
Olivier Loudig, Ph.D., an associate member of the CDI, was honored for his innovative efforts on biomarker discovery for early detection of metastasizing breast cancer and lung cancer. He received the award at the 45th annual Edison Patent Awards Ceremony and Reception on Nov. 21 at Bell Works in Holmdel. The awards, the highest recognition of innovation in the state, celebrated 14 patents created by 62 inventors and five individual award winners.
“This is a major recognition for Dr. Loudig’s innovative, exciting work,” said Robert C. Garrett, FACHE, the chief executive officer of Hackensack Meridian Health, New Jersey’s largest health network. “It is also a fantastic milestone for our health network, which continues to develop bold new ideas to push the envelope for 21st century healthcare.”
Loudig has developed research programs for the discovery of cancer biomarkers, with projects focused on breast, lung, prostate, and bladder cancers. Working with senior research associate Megan I. Mitchell, Ph.D., they have designed technologies and received patents for the isolation of circulating extracellular vesicles, particularly those in exhaled breath condensates, which can be analyzed and facilitate early non-invasive detection of lung diseases and cancers.
“Olivier Loudig’s work is a great example of the CDI’s science accelerating discoveries into innovations to change lives as soon as possible,” said Ihor Sawczuk, M.D., FACS, Hackensack Meridian Health’s president of Academics, Research and Innovation, founding chair of the Hackensack Meridian Health Research Institute, and associate dean of Clinical Integration and professor and chair emeritus of Urology at the Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine.
Loudig joined Hackensack University Medical Center in 2017 and was one of the five founding laboratories to join the CDI at its inception in 2019.
“Refining the threshold of detection” through minute isolation of unique and disease-specific biomarkers is how Loudig has described his work. Recent peer-reviewed publications of his laboratory’s work have demonstrated the potential of an exhaled-breath test for non-invasive detection of human lung cancer.
Loudig’s honor, the Emerging Tech Award, is presented to a New Jersey individual, team or organization whose early-stage inventions or innovations have the potential to make a significant impact on the marketplace. Individual award winners alongside Dr. Loudig include computer science pioneer Brian Kernighan, Ph.D. of Princeton University; New Brunswick Development Corporation President Christopher Paldino, Rowan University Provost Anthony Lowman, Ph.D., and New Jersey Commission on Science, Innovation and Technology Executive Director Judith Sheft.
The five individual award winners were vetted and selected by the R&D Council’s Board. Edison Patent Award winners were selected by a team of R&D Council researchers who evaluated patents for the significance of the problem, utility/socio-economic value, novelty, and commercial impact. All winning patents must have at least part of the technical and/or scientific work completed in New Jersey.
The 14 Edison Patent Award winners were also honored at the Nov. 21 event for patents ranging from a surgical robot designed for femur fractures to technology that improves mobile communications. The honorees included BASF Environmental Catalyst and Metal Solutions; Bristol Myers Squibb; Colgate-Palmolive Company; ExxonMobil Technology & Engineering Company; Merck & Co.; Nokia Bell Labs; Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory; Princeton University; Qualcomm Incorporated; Rowan University; Rutgers University; Siemens Technology; and the U.S. Army.
“This year’s theme of ‘Jersey Innovates, The World Takes,’ a nod to the iconic Lower Trenton Bridge slogan, celebrates New Jersey’s research community’s global impact,” said Colleen Ruegger, RPh, Ph.D., chair of the R&D Council Board of Directors and executive director of Technical Research & Development at Novartis.
“From the inventions of the lightbulb to transistors to antibiotics, New Jersey has been – and continues to be – in the forefront of life-altering innovations,” Ruegger said. “We are thrilled to celebrate these 14 patents, 66 inventors, and five innovation leaders as they continue to make a transformative impact on the world from right here in New Jersey.”
About the R&D Council
The Research & Development Council of New Jersey, collaborates with industry, academia, and government to grow and strengthen STEM in education, innovation, and the economy. The R&D Council is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization whose membership includes representatives from academia, government, and industry, including several Fortune 500 companies.
About Hackensack Meridian Health
Hackensack Meridian Health is a leading not-for-profit health care organization that is the largest integrated health care network in New Jersey, with more than 35,000 team members and 7,000 physicians, offering a complete range of medical services, innovative research, and life-enhancing care. The network has 18 hospitals and more than 500 patient care locations, which include ambulatory care centers, surgery centers, home health services, ambulance services, lifesaving air medical transportation, rehabilitation centers, urgent care centers, physician practice locations, and a fitness and wellness center.
About the Center for Discovery and Innovation
The Center for Discovery and Innovation (CDI), a member of Hackensack Meridian Health, translates current innovations in science to improve clinical outcomes for patients. More than 29 laboratories, 185 professional researchers and physician-scientists at the CDI have set their sights on cancer, infectious diseases, autoimmune disorders, and other acute and chronic diseases. The CDI leverages a new wave of scientific advances involving genetics, cell engineering of the human immune system, and imaging to better diagnose, treat and prevent disease through personalized medicine approaches.
