Draper Museum Expands with a New Exhibit Focusing on Innovation in Biomedical Engineering
CAMBRIDGE, Mass.—A new exhibit at the Draper Museum showcases nearly 50 years of innovation in biomedical engineering. The displays highlight the application of Draper’s research and engineering expertise to medical devices, medical imaging, bioinstrumentation, and biomechanics.
The new exhibit expands the Museum, adding to the existing display of Draper’s innovations and contributions to space exploration, including the Apollo Program, and America’s national security. The Museum also features highlights from Draper’s history as part of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and an independent non-profit laboratory.
Beginning July 3, the Draper Museum will be open to the public on Thursdays from noon to 4:30 p.m. Visitors can take a free self-guided tour to learn about Draper’s pioneering contributions to biomedical research and America’s space program.
Draper’s efforts in the biomedical and biotechnology fields date back to the 1970s. Among the lab’s initial projects were a bedside biomedical computer for cardiovascular patients, a high-speed automatic microscope for locating and counting white blood cells, and software development for reviewing vectorcardiograms.
The 1990s marked a turning point, when Draper collaborated with the Keck Foundation’s Neural Prosthesis Research Center on a gyroscope-fitted jacket designed to assist people with balance issues. In 1998, Draper helped establish the Center for Integration of Medicine and Innovative Technology (CIMIT), a collaborative “center without walls”, uniting Draper, The Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, and Massachusetts General Hospital. The partnership pushed the boundaries of organ research, including methods to grow organs in a lab—laying the groundwork for Draper’s renowned organ-on-a-chip (OOC) program.
The OOC program accelerated in the early 2000s when Draper began its development of microphysiological systems (MPS) to improve the understanding of how chemical, biological, radiation and nuclear (CBRN) threats affect the human body and to predict the safety and effectiveness of drugs, vaccines, and antibody-based treatments. Draper advancements in the field have resulted in solutions that leverage human tissue platforms, immune system models, molecular and cellular assays, omics-based technologies, and advanced analytical methods. These innovations enable in-depth assessment of threat agents and medical countermeasures (MCM).
The new biomedical displays in the Museum include:
PREDICT96—Draper’s flagship MPS platform is an instrumented microfluidic culture plate in the standard 384-well plate footprint that supports 96 individual OOCs or arrayed multi-organ systems simultaneously, with sensors to monitor individual OOCs. In its 25-year history of MPS development, Draper has achieved multiple industry firsts: first to culture mammalian cells in a microfluidic device, first durable multi-organ system, first multiplex instrumented MPS, and first robust MPS in high containment.
BLOx (Blood Oxygenator)—a breakthrough lung technology designed to aid patients suffering from respiratory failure. BLOx acts as an artificial lung to perform extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) using a microfabricated silicone rubber device with a 3D branching network of blood channels that mimics how blood flows naturally in the body. This ability to mimic the human lung mitigates the common complications associated with ECMO.
Low-force Expanding/Adaptable Pediatric (LEAP) Valve—a pediatric heart valve featuring a unique stent design that can actively expand from 7 mm to 14 mm in diameter enabling it to “grow” as fast as kids do. Developed in collaboration with the Boston Children’s Hospital and Seattle Children’s Hospital, and currently in preclinical trials, LEAP offers a solution for young patients as they grow from birth to five years old.
Draper is located at 555 Technology Square, Cambridge, Mass. The Draper Museum is open to the public on Thursdays from noon to 4:30 p.m., starting July 3, 2025.
About Draper
Draper is a non-profit research, development, and manufacturing company that solves some of the nation’s most important challenges. With more than 2,000 employees working in collaboration across 12 locations, Draper delivers transformative, mission-driven solutions that successfully meet our customers’ requirements. These efforts focus on four critical mission areas: Strategic Systems, Space Systems, Electronic Systems, and Biotechnology Systems. To extend our legacy into the future, the Draper Scholars program engages with the next generation of innovators while DraperSPARX™ seeks to partner with startups and small businesses that can further our mission. To learn more about Draper, visit www.draper.com.
Released July 3, 2025
