Casper Doctor Launches State

Dr. Joseph McGinley, a Casper physician, has an interesting background: He has degrees in medicine, mechanical engineering and physiology.

He put all three together and has turned his Casper-based McGinley Orthopedic Innovations (MOI) into one of the country’s top technological-advanced companies. He founded the company in 2012 with the idea of innovative orthopedic surgical instruments with new technologies that protect patients, improve outcomes and reduce costs.

McGinley’s engineering background has served him well with advanced technology products. One of those is the IntelliSense Drill Technology (patented). It was developed to improve a frequent and common medical procedure: orthopedic bone drilling.

The IntelliSense Drill Technology combines technological advances into the standard orthopedic drill, providing surgeons with increased awareness of the drill bit while operating. The drill uses In-Sight Surgical Lighting (patented) to illuminate the area being worked on without the need to adjust surgical lighting, McGinley says.

The technology provides surgeons with real-time depth sensing and cortical edge detection, which completely eliminates the need for manual depth measurement, McGinley says. The patented technology uses internal sensors, which can monitor drill bit tip location in real time and determine when a bony cortex is passed. Surgeons then use touch-screen technology that displays a precise depth measurement.

“This process may reduce surgical times and improve safety by providing real-time, accurate assessment of the drilling process,” McGinley says.

The IntelliSense Drill Technology was used on a patient in an operating room for the first time in July at Shriners Hospitals for Children in Philadelphia.

The next phase is the design and engineering to incorporate this technology into MOI’s next product, the IntelliSense Bone Saw, says McGinley, who is the company’s founder and CEO. He is a fellowship-trained musculoskeletal radiologist and sports medicine physician who received all three of his degrees from Temple University.

To get his technological-advanced business off the ground, McGinley sought the assistance of three programs within UW: the Wyoming Technology Business Center in Casper; Manufacturing-Works; and Wyoming SBIR/STTR Initiative. All are directed by the UW vice president for research and economic development office.

MOI, in June 2013, became the first tenant of the Wyoming Technology Business Center (WTBC) in Casper. With its main office located at UW, WTBC is a statewide UW business development program that helps early-stage, high-growth companies. The program helps client companies grow larger and faster than they would otherwise, and increases the ability of the entrepreneurs to manage and grow their businesses.

Seven full-time MOI employees are located in the WTBC facility. The team in Casper sells and supports the IntelliSense Drill on the market, and develops new products with a team of in-house engineers.

“The WTBC has been a great space for MOI to grow,” McGinley says. “The infrastructure and resources available to startups are a benefit not readily available otherwise.”

Manufacturing-Works contracted with MOI in fall 2013 to provide project management and design consultation for the IntelliSense Drill, and to assist with the submission to the Food and Drug Administration for clearance. It also completed an Innovation Engineering Business Simulation for the drill.

Dr. Joseph McGinley’s invention, the IntelliSense Drill, was developed to improve a frequent and common medical procedure: orthopedic bone drilling. (McGinley Orthopedic Innovations Photo)

Manufacturing-Works is a partnership among UW, the National Institutes of Standards and Technology, and the Wyoming Business Council. It provides assistance, training and engineering solutions to technology-based companies and manufacturers. Its main offices are located on the UW campus.

McGinley also worked with the Wyoming Small Business Innovative (WSSI) Research and Technology Transfers Programs (SBIR/STTR) Initiative, receiving two separate grants to assist with proposals to the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

The first was a Phase 0 grant for the IntelliSense Drill Technology, which was awarded in June 2012. The second was a Phase 00 grant to advance the IntelliSense Saw Technology, which was awarded in September. As part of those awards, the Wyoming SBIR/STTR Initiative also provided valuable advice and consulting for respective NIH applications, McGinley says.

“We are extremely grateful for all of the support we have received from Wyoming, including the University of Wyoming,” he adds. “Several of the UW programs have helped us grow as a company. Our collaboration with UW has been truly beneficial.”

McGinley’s company recently received support from the Wyoming Business Council, the state’s economic development arm, for a $1.35 million grant that will support MOI’s manufacturing facility, McGinley Manufacturing, based in Glenrock.

The company’s manufacturing arm has eight full-time employees, and a custom machine and fabrication shop. The skilled workforce has the ability to customize and design products in the oil, gas, mining, construction, motorsports and medical fields.