MBI Incubator at Gateway Park

The MBI Incubator at Gateway Park is a joint partnership between the Massachusetts Biomedical Initiatives and WPI: in particular, the Bioengineering Institute within the University. The incubator, located on the ground floor of the newly constructed WPI Life Science's building houses laboratories, shared equipment and offices for up to six start-up biomedical companies. This collaboration will specifically identify and capture academic and science related research and transfer these discoveries into commercial based company formations and jobs. MBI has built out and operates the facility. MBI has a proven history in promoting the successful statewide economic development strategy of life science business incubation. Further technology growth is also envisioned within the Park as MBI "graduate" incubator companies grow into larger space requirements thus providing further employment opportunities within our burgeoning Central Mass regional biomedical industry.

Description
The WPI Life Sciences and Bioengineering Center at Gateway Park is the first building phase in the development of a mixed-use, life sciences campus on a former Worcester brownfield. The center features new construction to house modern laboratories and support facilities, and a renovated former industrial building which provides space for offices, meeting rooms, and other amenities.

Tenants at the Gateway Park Facilities

• BioTechnic Products LTD
  Contact: Prakash Kadkade, Ph.D., President & Chief Scientific Officer
  Email pkbiotechnic@aol.com
  Phone: 508-755-0646
  
  Identifies, develops and commercializes bioceuticals using various cell culture systems.

• Blue Sky Biotech, Inc.
  Contact: Paul Wengender, CEO and Director of Business Development
  Email: pwengender@blueskybiotech.com
  Phone: 508-798-4980
  
  Blue Sky Biotech, Inc. is a contract research organization providing services in the area of early drug discovery biology R&D. Blue Sky Biotech helps its clients to discover new medicines by providing them with a "one-stop shopping" source for molecular biology and protein production services.

• CellMosaic LLC
  Contact: Yumei Huang, Ph.D., President & Chief Executive Officer
  Email: yhuang@cellmosaic.com
  Phone: 508-770-8030
  
  CellMosaic develops bioconjugates for research, manufacturing, biodection, discovery and diagnostics. Our technologies lie at the interface of chemistry and biology, with special focus on synthetic organic chemistry and biochemistry. We modify biopolymers or covalently link different biopolymers together through chemical or biochemical methods to create novel reagent-tools. Molecules we work with include antibodies and their fragments, proteins (soluble and membrane proteins), enzymes, nucleic acids and their analogs, peptides and their mimetics (peptidomimetics), colorimetric or fluorescent compounds, biotin and avidin/streptavidin, solid support media, and other biologically active molecules.

• Informatics and Computing Resources Center
  Contact: Joseph Gormley, Managing Director of Informatics and Computing Resources
  Email: jg@massbiomed.org
  Phone: 508-797-4200 ext. 203
  
  The Informatics Center is an engineering and educational initiative between MBI, industry, and regional academic institutions. The Center acts as a catalyst for collaborative research leading to new computational tools and techniques for the life sciences. Our staff and advisors are computer and life scientists with expertise in database design, advanced simulation, data mining, machine learning, and software development. High potential methods have been developed for commercial and academic partners involved in both basic and applied research. The Massachusetts Biomedical Initiatives is committed to accelerating Worcester's development as world-class center for biological research. The Informatics Center at MBI is a non-profit biocomputing facility that contributes to this important scientific and economic development initiative by providing research support services to companies and organizations throughout the region.

• Targeted Cell Therapies, LLC
  Contacts:
  Eric J. Evans, CEO
  Email: eevans@targetedcelltherapies.us
  Phone: 508-363-0001
  Edward Ginns, MD, PhD, CSO
  Email: eginns@targetedcelltherapies.us
  Phone: 508-363-0001
  
  Targeted Cell Therapies (TCT) is an early-stage Massachusetts-based biopharmaceutical company that is using its powerful technology platform for the development of biotherapeutics for a broad range of human diseases. The technology permits the oral delivery of large molecules, avoiding the usual need for injection.  The Company’s approach uses glucan particles containing nanoplexed nucleic acid (DNA or RNA) payloads encoding therapeutic molecules. Following oral administration, the glucan particles and their payload are rapidly taken up by macrophages in the small intestine. As the macrophages migrate to sites of inflammation or pathology, the payloads are processed by cellular machinery into active therapeutics.  TCT believes that its orally administered therapeutics will be more efficacious and safer than the currently available injectables. Targeted Cell Therapies lead compound is for Gaucher Disease, the most common lysosomal storage disorder.  Other targets for our biotherapeutics  include lytic and low bone density conditions and inflammatory disorders.

• VivoPath, LLC
  Contact: Walter J. Lunsmann, COO
  Email: wlunsmann@vivopath.com
  Phone: (508) 751-5000
  Fax: (508) 751-5001
  
  VivoPath is a preclinical screening company, offering our clients discovery and development services for in vivo testing. VivoPath provides integrated in vivo studies led by established experts in drug development. Efficacy is established for animal models in the areas of metabolic disease, inflammation, neurodegenerative disease, and infectious diseases. Formulation screening is carried out to select the most appropriate delivery system for administration. Pharmacokinetic evaluation is carried out to assess exposure and bioavailability. Tolerability is assessed with evaluations of clinical signs, clinical chemistry and hematology. The resulting comprehensive program delivers the client an in vivo therapeutic index (TI) report on which to assess candidates for subsequent development. VivoPath can also help clients at any individual step in this preclinical screening process. VivoPath’s commitment is to provide scientific expertise in in vivo drug discovery in order to increase productivity from research into drug development.