Scientist return home to Nutley and new hub of science

Special to the Nutley Journal

Cepter Biopartners has moved into Prism Capital Partners’ ON3 building at the former Hoffman-La Roche Campus, which spans the City of Clifton and Township of Nutley.

The move marks a “return home” for Cepter’s leadership – all of whom are former employees of Hoffmann-La Roche.

Cepter provides services that are essential during the initial phases of drug discovery. The company’s laboratories are located at ON3’s 123 Metro Boulevard –home to the Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine.

“A conversation with a long-time colleague, David Perlin, led to our return to this building,” said Alvin Stern, Cepter’s managing partner.

Perlin serves as professor of Medical Sciences at the Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine, and as chief scientific officer and executive vice president of Hackensack Meridian’s Center for Discovery and Innovation, which is located at ON3’s 111 Ideation Way.

“I spoke with David when we were looking for a new location and we realized there was an opportunity for our firm to support the center as it expands its focus towards drug discovery,” Stern said. “Having us on campus would make working together easy – we could simply walk across the bridge connecting our buildings to discuss projects.”

Now Cepter is subleasing space from Hackensack Meridian Health at this burgeoning hub of science and learning that also includes Eisai Inc. and Quest Diagnostics.

Stern spent more than 30 years at

Roche, working for the Swiss pharmaceutical company until it closed its U.S. global headquarters in Nutley in 2012.

“I did my post-doctoral fellowship in Building 102, which is now 111 Ideation Way,” he said. “After three years, following the completion of my fellowship, I left to start my own academic research laboratory in New York City, but returned to Nutley a year later when Roche was recruiting young scientists to start a biotechnology division.”

As head of the company’s Protein Biochemistry group, Stern developed unique approaches to purify difficult proteins and was recognized for his pioneering work on the purification of the oncology drug, Interleukin-2.

“Our department focused on the initial stages of a drug development program,” he said. “In Nutley, the emphasis was on oncology, autoimmune illnesses and metabolic diseases such as diabetes. Those departments would identify a unique target and we were responsible to develop a strategy for initiating the project.”

Although Roche relocated Stern’s group several times to different buildings on the Nutley campus, he finally landed at what is now 123 Metro Boulevard. When the company shut down operations at the site, Stern decided to start his own company.

Nutley CROP Hunger Walk to start at St. Vincent on Oct. 15

The Nutley CROP Hunger Walk will be held on Sunday, Oct. 15 starting at St. Vincent Church.

Registration will begin at 12:30 p.m. with the walk beginning at 1 p.m. with a welcome and an interfaith prayer at the church, which is located at 100 Vincent Place.

Walkers will go south through Yanticaw Park to Centre Street over to Franklin Avenue up to Vreeland Avenue and then south through Memorial Park back to the church, finishing about 2 p.m.

Shorter and longer routes are welcome according to each person’s ability. As walkers return to the church, they will be appreciated for their effort to end hunger and enjoy fellowship and refreshments, according to a press release from the church.

There is a Nutley Walk page, Nutley CROP Hunger Walk, where walkers can register, join a team, review walk information and see a picture of the last walk.

Everyone is invited to register online, do promotion, collect sponsors, share pictures to social media and submit their donations.

Walkers are encouraged to visit the general CROP Hunger Walk website: www.crophungerwalk.org - to find fundraising tips along with activities for children, youth and adults to make it a fun and educational experience.

The walk is sponsored by the Nutley Clergy Fellowship. For local information and sponsor forms, contact Rick DeKovessey at jdekovessey@aol.com or Lisa Feraco at teemof8@aol.com. Money raised will help the hungry around the world with 25% of it providing food for neighbors in need through the Nutley Family Service Bureau Food Pantry and the Community Care Kitchen.