Dive Brief:
- The Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health, or ARPA-H, launched a new program on Tuesday to support development of biosensors that can track multiple signals such as inflammation markers, hormones or drug levels within the body.
- The program, called Delphi, will focus on using electronic “chiplets,” with the goal of being able to “mix and match” features across wearables and ingestible sensors.
- The initiative comes as Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has emphasized a role for wearables in tracking health habits. Last year, the secretary said he wanted all Americans to use wearables, and the Food and Drug Administration’s device center launched a pilot that would allow the agency to waive premarket requirements for certain digital health devices while they collect real-world data under a Medicare program.
Dive Insight:
ARPA-H, a part of the HHS that funds biomedical and health research, is launching the program after cuts and leadership changes last year. The Trump administration shut down research programs at ARPA-H last summer in areas such as cybersecurity, artificial intelligence and preventive care, according to Politico. The agency also recently laid off staff responsible for commercializing breakthroughs, according to STAT.
The Delphi program is intended to help people take control of their health and get out of hospitals faster, an ARPA-H official said in a transcript of a Monday press call.
Most people are familiar with wearables that can collect metrics like heart rate, temperature or blood pressure, the official said. But the devices are limited in information that they can collect.
The official compared “chiplet” technology to Lego blocks, allowing developers to keep some components as they change what biomarkers they track.
The program will run for four-and-a-half years, with plans to create initial prototypes in the first two years, then work on integrating components into working systems and regulatory applications, and finally clinical trials and human factors testing. In each of the three phases, developers will be challenged to add new biomarkers to their prototypes.
ARPA-H did not disclose funding amounts for the projects, but the official said that the agency typically awards milestone-based contracts, and past projects have been funded at $30 million up to $150 million.
Solution summaries are due on April 8, according to the program’s website.
