Opening of PracticePoint a R&D Facility for Medical Device Development

Our newest R&D facility opened on January 14, 2020. At the opening, President Laurie Leshin, and PracticePoint director Greg Fischer was joined by the Massachusetts Secretary of Housing and Economic Development Michael Kennealy; Massachusetts Technology Collaborative (MTC) executive director Carolyn Kirk and deputy director Patrick Larkin; Boston Scientific director of corporate research Ron Lancaster; state senator Harriette Chandler; Worcester Chamber of Commerce CEO Tim Murray; and other elected officials, corporate partners, and WPI board members, faculty, staff, and students.

Conceived as a research and development facility at Gateway Park to support the design and development of cyber-physical systems and medical technologies, PracticePoint is a collaborative ecosystem where research institutions, healthcare providers, and corporate partners will work collaboratively on new technologies and incorporate them quickly into commercially viable medical devices. The facility has several test beds, part of the clinical wing – Home Health Suite; Patient Care Suite; Neurotech lab; Operating Room; MRI Lab—along with the Motion Analysis Lab; 3D Printing Lab; Machine Shop; and Electronics Fabrication Shop.

The facility is a perfect example of public/private partnership, as it was developed by WPI, with a $5M grant from the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative and support from MITRE and the University of Massachusetts Medical School. Among the several corporations who have already joined PracticePoint is Boston Scientific.