ARPA-H: A Catalyst for Advancing Microphysiological Systems
By Yiguang Zhu | September 28, 2023
The Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H), a new federal agency within the NIH, has emerged as a significant force in biomedical and health research. ARPA-H's financial backbone is strengthened by appropriations from Congress, channeled through the Department of Health and Human Services. For FY2023, the Consolidated Appropriations Act allocated $1.5 billion to ARPA-H, a $500 million increase from FY2022.
With a mission to drive high-potential, high-impact research that delivers transformative, sustainable, and equitable health solutions, ARPA-H is positioned to catalyze advancements in alternatives to animal testing, including Microphysiological Systems (MPS). Also known as organ-on-a-chip or tissue chips, MPS are microscale cell culture platforms that mimic human tissue/organ functions. Moving beyond a petri dish, MPS can reproduce complex human physiology in vitro.
MPS have the potential to replace, reduce, and refine the use of animals in testing, a goal that aligns with ARPA-H's commitment to transformative biomedical research. By investing in such breakthrough technologies, ARPA-H can transform important areas of medicine not readily accomplished through conventional methods.
Moreover, ARPA-H’s emphasis on collaboration can bring together experts to advance and validate MPS as predictive tools in fields like drug development and personalized medicine, including researchers, clinicians, industry partners, and regulatory agencies. ARPA-H funded projects can accelerate translating proof-of-concept MPS models into clinical applications and regulatory acceptance.
ARPA-H's collaborative and spirited approach to research, coupled with its commitment to diversity, makes it an ideal catalyst for innovation in this field. The agency's focus on proactive health and resilient systems aligns well with the goals of MPS development, which aims to improve predictive ability and potentially enhance the speed and efficacy of bringing FDA-regulated products to market.
While MPS holds enormous potential, there is still a long road ahead to gradually transition from animal models. As a nascent technology, MPS is facing challenges including the lack of validation strategies and the need for standardized protocols before regulatory acceptance. The launch of ARPA-H provides a tremendous opportunity for the MPS community to come together and collaboratively tackle these obstacles. As ARPA-H continues to drive high-impact research, we can expect to see further advancements in this important area.
The image used in this blog is sourced from Bipartisan misgivings: House appropriators chafe at Biden’s proposal to fund ARPA-H at the expense of NIH published in The Cancer Letter. All rights to the image belong to the original author(s) and/or the publisher. The use of this image is intended for educational, non-commercial purposes and does not infringe on the rights of the copyright holder. If you are the copyright holder and have concerns about the use of this image, please contact Yiguang Zhu at yzhu99@jh.edu.
The views expressed do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Johns Hopkins University or Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
