Who We Are
The Medical Device Concept Laboratory (MDCL) is a resource of the New Jersey Center for Biomaterials and the Biomedical Engineering Department of the New Jersey Institute of Technology. MDCL is a nonprofit research and development facility that is focused on advancing the material science of synthetic materials utilized in a biologically relevant environment. Project sponsorship is from government agencies and industry. MDC Lab often teams with companies developing new medical devices.

The MDCL was founded and is managed by leading industrial scientists and managers with a successful track record in commercializing technology. MDCL is focused on bringing science and technology to life as a viable business venture.

MDCL Mission
Our mission is to:

• Demonstrate the impact of material science in advancing the understanding of synthetic materials behavior in a biological environment
• Substantially advance polymeric biomatrials fabrication technology
• Facilitate the commercialization of medical device concepts of client companies
• Contribute to the research programs of the New Jersey Center for Biomaterials

How MDCL Works
Our infrastructure integrates basic and applied research with a business development focus that creates an attractive environment for entrepreneurs, established companies, experienced industrial scientists and investors.

MDCL is highly flexible in its modes of operation with industry. When appropriate, our staff carries out a client’s research project using our existing facilities. Alternatively, we can draw needed expertise from our large network of academic and industrial scientists to access the expertise needed to carry out individual projects. Corporate technology development clients may arrange for temporary residence in MDC Lab for the duration of an R&D project and involve their own staff in carrying out the work. Funding mechanisms are likewise flexible and range from direct industrial support to jointly writing proposals for government grants (e.g., SBIR, STTR, NIST-ATP awards). We are aware of, and sensitive to, the industrial need to control intellectual property and proprietary information.

MDCL provides a conduit to resources available in the state. We can link clients with financial, business, and especially technical resources throughout New Jersey and beyond. Alliances have been forged with New Jersey agencies offering business development services such as the New Jersey Small Business Development Center, New Jersey Manufacturing Extension Program, Rutgers University School of Management, and the Rutgers and NJIT technology incubators. Relationships have also been initiated with sources of venture capital.

MDCL can provide market assessments, strategic and business plan development and execution to complement technical and scientific development activities. It has a commercial focus and experience in building new businedd opportunities.

MDCL'S Compound Development Capabilities
The Medical Device Concept Laboratory is unique in the academic world. We provide assistance with compound synthesis, process development, control and evaluation. MDCL has polymer spinning facilities, run by experienced scientists with many years of industrial experience, to carry out:

• Synthesis of polymers, inorganic compounds and composite synthesis
• Processing of biological and synthetic polymers
• Fiber and shape extrusion
• Precise control of surface/bulk features, from macroscopic down to nanoscale
• Biorelevant/conventional materials analysis
• Process-structure-property evaluation
• Work at scales relevant to product concept assessment

Laboratory Facilities for Fabrication, Synthesis and Prototype Development
Our equipment allows a high degree of process control for prototype development. A partial listing of our laboratory facilities for fabrication and synthesis includes:

Melt Spinning:

• James Machine, small scale (10g) - ideally suited for bench top testing
• Micromelt II, 3/4" extruder feed (10kg) - especially good for rods, fibers and tubes
  

Solution Spinning:

• Syringe pump, 5 g charge, 500 g charge

Collagen Manufacture and Extrusion:

• Rotating mandrel suspension extruder
• Fiber production

Professional solid state drawing and annealing equipment
Synthetic Chemistry:

• Organic, Inorganic, Polymer, Composites

Polymer Characterization:

• Rheology
  • Melt Indexer, Cone and Plate
• Thermal Analysis
  • TA Q100 DSC (Conventional and modulated), TA Q50 TGA, TA 2940TMA
• Molecular Relaxation Phenomena
  • TherMold 9000 TSC/RMA, Rheometrics RSAII, Rheometrics DMTA IV
• Optical Microscopy
  • Polarized Light, Hot Stages
• Infra-red Microscopy
  • NicPlan IR Microscope, 10µ resolution, 3 D imaging
• Mechanical Property Evaluation
  • Tensile tester, Impact Tester, HDT

Technical Focus of MDCL

Collaboration with the Polymer Processing Institute
MDC Lab collaborates closely with the Polymer Processing Institute (PPI), an independent nonprofit research corporation, headquartered at the New Jersey Institute of Technology. The two organizations have merged their expertise, experience and facilities for problem solving, outsourcing and education in the areas of biopolymers, medical devices and pharmaceutical packaging.

Since it’s founding in 1982, PPI’s mission has been to advance knowledge in the field of polymer processing through industry-sponsored research and development, and to disseminate information via technical journals, seminars and training courses. PPI’s activities involve most aspects of process and product development with polymeric materials. Specific research areas include mixing and compounding, thermoplastics foam processing, reactive processing, process design and computation, and materials characterization. In addition, PPI, as a technical service provider of the NJ Manufacturing Extension Partnership, provides hands-on process development assistance to medium and small size manufacturers in New Jersey.

PPI resources include:

Extrution, mixing and shaping equipment

• Single, twin, co- andcounter-rotating extruders, batch melt mixers, and machines for coextrusion, injection molding and thermoforming
  

Mechanical, thermal and rheological characterization

• On-line monitoring of viscosity and morphology

MDCL People Resources

Professor Michael Jaffe, Department of Biomedical Engineering,
New Jersey Institute of Technology, Laboratory Director
Professor Jaffe is the Director of the Medical Device Concept Laboratory and Chief Scientist for Industrial Programs of the New Jersey Center for Biomaterials. Previously, he was a Research Fellow at the Hoechst Celanese Corporation which he joined upon completion of his Ph.D. in Chemistry from Rennselaer Polytechnic Institute in 1967. His work has focused on understanding the structure-property relationships of polymers and related materials, the application of biological paradigms to materials design and the translation of new technology to commercial reality. He is a member of the National Materials Advisory Board, is a past chairman of the Polymeric Materials: Science and Engineering Division of the American Chemical Society and has served on panels of the NSF, DOD, DOE, NASA and NIST. He has authored more than 50 technical publications, six book chapters and 12 patents. He is a fellow of AAAS and NATAS and was the recipient of the 1995 Thomas Alva Edison Patent Award presented by the Research and Development Council of New Jersey.

Joseph Pickton, Laboratory Manager
Joseph Pickton has extensive industrial experience and expertise in polymer processing. While at Hoechst Celanese Corporation he was Senior Research Technician in charge of the polymer processing laboratory of the Advanced Materials Group. His background covers all areas of melt processing including fiber spinning, film and non-woven extrusion, drawing, annealing, rheological characterization, compounding, and solid state polymerization. He has a broad background in melt, dry and solution spinning techniques. While at Hoechst Celanese Mr. Pickton co-pioneered the use of laser Doppler anemometer for high speed spin line measurements in both research and production facilities. He also initiated a program to study the development of synthetic fibers for sound-barrier applications. He holds five US patents, one European patent, and two patent applications. He is currently engaged in biomaterials research and development at MDCL.

Dr. Zohar Ophir, Senior Scientist, Department of Biomedical Engineering, New Jersey Institute of Technology
Dr. Ophir received his Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from Princeton University in 1979. He is currently on a two-year sabbatical leave from Israel. His main career activities include research engineer with Hoechst Celanese Corporation, R&D Manager at RAFAEL and adjunct professor at the Technion in Israel. Past research activities have included structure properties of polymers, processing studies of thermotropic liquied crystalline polymers and product development of polymer matrix composites. at MDCL his work is focused on development and studies of novel biological grade polymers and nanocomposites.

Richard Olson, Business Development
Richard Olson is an experienced business development person. He currently serves as a business development consultant to several biotech and medical device companies. He was VP of Business Development at Schering-Plough HealthCare Products, Division General Manager for Fisons PLC and a senior domestic and international marketing executive with Richardson-Vicks. He is skilled in the licensing of products and technology, the formulation and execution of creative, effective marketing programs, new product development, international strategy transfer, product line repositioning and business revitalization.

Visiting Scientists
Dr. Anthony J. East
Dr. East is a synthetic polymer chemist with many years' experience. He received his B.Sc. degree in 1959 in Organic Chemsitry and his Ph.D. in 1964, both from the University of Bristol, England. He joined ICI Fibers Division in Harrogate, Yorkshire, England and spent 16 years largely concerned with the chemistry of polyethylene terephthalate, nylon and other fiber-forming polymers. During his work at Harrogate, he made the very first observation of liquid crystal polymer behavior. In 1979 he transferred to the Celanese Research Corporation facility in Summit, New Jersey where he became a member of the Senior Scientific Staff. Dr. East's lifetime interst has been the inter-relation of polymer physical properties with molecular structure. While at Summit he worked on liquid crystal polymers in the VECTRA™ family, functional polymers including opto-electronic materials (NLO), piezo-electric polymers and photofractive materials. His more recent interests embrace new kinds of bio-erodable and biodegradable polymers. Dr. East has authored 40 patnets, many puclications and three reference book chapters.

Dr. H. Leslie LaNieve
Leslie LaNieve is a consultant in fiber spinning, processing, properties and new products. He presently consults for Honeywell International Corpoation in the fields of cut resistant fibers and industrial fibers. He has 32 years experience with Hoechst Celanese in the fields of fibers and engineering plastics. He is an inventor of CRF®, cut resistant fiber technology. He has participated with ASTM and with ISO to help set up the US and international standards for Cut Protection Performance Testing. He was a recipient of the 1995 Thomas Alva Edison Patent Award presented by the Research and Development Council of New Jersey for a polyester yarn that "revolutionized industrial yarn technology and is used in virtually all radial tires made in the US." He received his BS, MS and Ph.D. degrees in chemical engineering from the University of Tennessee. He is a member of AIChE, the Fibers Society, the Society of Pheology and has been a memb er of advisory boards for engineering at the University of Tennessee and for polymer research at Case Western Reserve University.

Laboratory Fee Schedule (May 2003)

The Medical Device Concept Laboratory is a research and development facility focused on advancing the material science of synthetic materials utilized often, but not exclusively, in a biologically relevant environment. Project sponsorship is from government agencies and industry. MDC Lab often teams with companies developing new medical devices. The fabrication and characterization facilities of the MDC Laboratory are also available to university faculty and industry on a fee basis, with the use of equipment by suitably trained non-MDCL personnel encouraged.

MDC Lab is equipped to provide access to equipment and technical support in several categories:

1 - Faculty Users

NJIT and New Jersey Center for Biomaterials faculty are welcome to utilize MDCL equipment when appropriate.

1.1 – Scientific instruments: $50/hr.

• Price includes routine supplies (standard DSC pans, nitrogen, microscope slides etc).
• Component breakage, caused by mishandling or hazardous materials, is the user’s responsibility.
• First time users will be charged additional $60/hr for training.

1.2 – Fiber processing equipment: $1000 per run minimum cost.

• Total cost is dependent on project details.
• Machine modification or additional equipment to be paid by user.
• Price includes initial fiber characterization including optical microscopy, thermal analysis, and report.

2 – Industrial Partnerships with the Medical Device Concept Laboratory

It is assumed that the partners bring IP and know-how. The intent of the work is to verify known processes and procedures, to provide samples and to generate relevant data. While inventions are not expected, all contracts will specify ownership of newly developed IP, with the base case being joint ownership of the resulting IP with the supporting company having rights of first refusal on any portion of IP generated.

2.1 – The rates are based on average use of 20 hours per week.

2.2 – Price includes routine supplies (standard DSC pans, nitrogen, microscope slides etc).

2.3 – Fiber spinning price includes use of analysis equipment up to 5 hrs per week.

2.4 – Component breakage, caused by mishandling or hazardous materials, is the user’s responsibility.

2.5 – Training for first time users will be charged additional $80/hr or $400/day

2.6 – MDC lab can provide an operators, experimental designs, data interpretation technical reporting and business input at extra cost, depending on requirements.

Directions to Medical Device Concept Laboratory
University Heights Science Park
111 Lock Street, Newark NJ 07103

From N.J. Turnpike & Rt. 280 West:
Turnpike Exit 15W to Route 280 West.
Route 280 West to King Blvd. Exit
At the end of the ramp make a left onto State St.
Go a short way to the end and make another left onto King Blvd. (stay in right lane after going under Rt. 280)
At the 4th Traffic Light turn right onto Central Avenue (immediately after St. Michael's Medical Center).
At the next traffic light, make a left turn onto Lock St.
MDC Lab is on the right side, directly across from the NJIT athletic field on the corner of Lock & Warren Streets.
Turn right at the light (Warren St.) then make the first right onto Nuttman St. (behind the building) - Parking lot is on left side. Instruct the guard on duty that you are visiting us in MDC Lab. MDC Lab is on the corner across the street, entrance around corner on Lock St. Please use the intercom for entry by pressing #1456.

From Garden State Parkway & Rt. 280 East:
Take Parkway Exit 145 (The Oranges -Harrison) to Route 280 East.
Route 280 East to First St. Newark Exit.
Make a right at light at the end of the ramp
Go to the 2nd traffic light and turn left onto Central Avenue
Go to the 2nd traffic light and turn right onto Lock St.
MDC Lab is on the right side, directly across from the NJIT athletic field on the corner of Lock & Warren St.

NJ Transit:
Train to Penn Station, Newark (Call 1-800-772-2222 for schedule info)
Newark City Subway platform is down the stairs to the left of the Newark Penn Station McDonald's. Take subway to Warren St. (It costs $.45 from Penn Station, $1.00 between 4 and 6 p.m.). MDC Lab is across the street on the corner.

How to Contact Us
To learn more about the Laboratory, contact Michael Jaffe, Ph.D.

Or contact the Center administrative office at admin@njbiomaterials.org.