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Oklahoma's BIOTECH Landscape

Landing a coveted spot in R&D magazine's annual list of 100 revolutionary technologies newly introduced to the market is a big deal. Really big.

In 2009, Oklahoma City-based Orthocare Innovations, a medical research and product development company that commercializes advanced technologies for the prosthetic, orthotic and rehabilitative markets, made the list.  Orthocare joined stalwarts such as The Dow Chemical Co., Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and NASA.  And those are just some of the 2009 honorees.  Since the award's inception in 1963, many of the technologies recognized have become household names:  the automated teller machine, fax machine, liquid crystal display, printer and HDTV.

"Being named to the R&D 100 really underscores our capability in research and development and shows that we have the talent and know-how to grow globally and bring innovation into the marketplace," says Orthocare CEO Doug McCormack.

The Orthocare technology cited by R&D is the Computerized Prosthesis Alignment System, Compas™, which assists practitioners in achieving optimal alignment through objective feedback and analysis using embedded sensor technology.  Compas™ marks a significant departure from traditional use of visual observation to align prosthetic devices.

Significant as the R&D 100 Awards is, though, it's not Orthocare's only major achievement over the past year.

Last July, the two-year-old company moved into a new facility at the Presbyterian Health Foundation Research Park, located in the heart of Oklahoma City's booming biotech district.  The expansion enables Orthocare to manufacture products previously made in other parts of the country and produce newly developed devices.

Over the past several months, Orthocare expanded it's human resources as well by adding key leadership positions to oversee and support production. "Orthocare has a very strong talent pool. Some our recent hires have been from inside the state, including our new directors of production and finance," McCormack says.  "And because of the excitement in Oklahoma about what we have going here, we've been able to recruit from outside the state too.  Our director of engineering, for example, left a major aerospace company in California to move here."


By early 2010, Orthocare expects to add several manufacturing personnel who will receive specialized medical device production training at Oklahoma City's Francis Tuttle Technology Center.  A $415,000 incentive package awarded last August by the City of Oklahoma City Economic Development Trust will create approximately 80 high-paying technical jobs over the next five years and help expand the Orthocare production facility.


"We have been so fortunate to enjoy significant support from local and state government and Oklahoma's congressional delegation," McCormack says.  "So much of what we're doing is applicable to helping veterans and injured servicemen.  Senator Jim Inhofe is spearheading an effort that could result in an $8 million award from the Department of Defense for a transition center that would be located here at the Presbyterian Health Foundation."

Also, Orthocare is negotiating with Oklahoma City's Tinker Air Force Base to establish collaborative transfer and cooperative research opportunities.

"Oklahoma is our base," McCormack declares.  "We are here to stay."