CaseBioscience Awarded Up to $7.3 Million by ARPA-H for Cell Therapy Storage Development

CaseBioscience is part of a multidisciplinary team that has received up to $7.3 million in funding from the U.S. Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H) to develop storage technologies for cell therapy products. The project aims to enable cell-based therapies to be stored and transported at room temperature without refrigeration, significantly reducing logistical complexities.

The ARPA-H BioStabilization Systems (BoSS) program seeks to revolutionize the distribution of biological medicines. It aims to develop technologies that would make advanced cell therapies as manageable as conventional pharmaceuticals. The Reversible Ambient Biostabilization (RAB) project, led by Likarda, is one of only three teams selected for the program.

Alongside CaseBioscience, the project includes Draper, CPSI Biotech, Fresenius Kabi, Likarda, MiNK Therapeutics, and Spencer Lab at the University of Colorado Boulder. During the initial 15-month phase, the team will focus on developing physiological mechanisms, cell protection strategies, and bioengineering solutions to stabilize cell therapy products at ambient temperatures.

This technological advancement is critical for the broader accessibility of cell therapies. Currently, the use of many cell-based treatments is hindered by costly and complex cold chain logistics. The ability to store and transport these therapies at room temperature could lower costs and improve patient access to these promising treatments.