Research and Growth in Gateway Park:

The WPI Bioengineering Institute (BEI)

by W. GRANT MCGIMPSEY
Professor, Bioengineering Institute

Just as basic life sciences research at medical schools drives the biotechnology and therapeutics industry, science and engineering research at universities like WPI is the force driving the medical devices and healthcare technology industries. In order to encourage WPI's participation in these industries, WPI established the Bioengineering Institute (BEI) in 2002.

NEW AND EXISTING BEI CENTERS OF APPLIED RESEARCH INCLUDE:

  • The BEI Center for Biomaterials focuses on the creation of biocompatible devices such as in-dwelling catheters to minimize infection and rejection, and tissue engineering and regeneration.
  • The BEI Center for Molecular Sensors designs and fabricates chemical and biological sensor systems for monitoring patient health and is in the early stages of development for an implantable sensor device.
  • The BEI Center for Nanoscience and Technology applies processes and techniques at the nanoscale to medical products.
  • The BEI Center for Bioprocessing develops and optimizes microbial fermentation and tissue culture processes for the small scale production of therapeutics.
  • The BEI Center for Water Research develops chemical and civil engineering-based solutions for ground water remediation.
  • The BEI Center for Comparative Neuroimaging designs and fabricates high resolution magnetic resonance coils for breast cancer detection.
  • The BEI Center for Untethered Healthcare focuses on the integration of diverse sensing, imaging and communications technologies.

The BEI strategy involves establishing a technology pipeline that flows from research concept to commercializable product. To follow this model, the BEI solicits funding from government, foundation and corporate sources to support basic and translational research in WPI laboratories, establishes strong intellectual property (IP) positions on the technology developed, carries out product and market validation studies on the technology, and seeks local entrepreneurs and small start-up companies as partners to convert these technologies into shelf-ready products. Such partnerships can themselves lead to further translational funding in the form of small business and other economic development grants.

To date, the research and management activities of the BEI have been scattered across the WPI campus. However, just over one year from now, we will be relocating to WPI's new research building on Prescott Street. The WPI Life Science and Bioengineering Research Center at Gateway Park is a $40 million dollar investment in new state-of-the-art research facilities that will build strength and cohesion in WPI's healthrelated research. This new building represents a very substantial investment by WPI and demonstrates our commitment to growing the region's healthcare economy.

In this new building, the BEI will be sharing space with WPI's life science research departments - Chemistry and Biochemistry, Biology and Biotechnology, and Biomedical Engineering - as well as small businesses in the health technologies space. Co-location in this new facility will enable close contact among the researchers who create the technologies, the BEI and its focus on commercializing these technologies, and the commercial end-users of the technologies. It promises to establish the BEI, WPI and Gateway Park as major players not only in healthcare research but also in the translation of that research to the marketplace.

Since its founding, the BEI has received nearly $9 million in funding and developed several telemedicine technologies to the point where we are in license negotiations with a number of potential commercialization partners. This success has encouraged us to expand our research base beyond telemedicine and establish new research centers. Founded upon WPI's existing research expertise, these centers (see box) have strong IP positions on technologies in various stages of development. We are actively seeking further development funding for them. The BEI welcomes corporate and entrepreneurial partnerships to aid in commercialization of the technologies generated by these centers.