What if our most advanced biological medicines were as easy to ship and store as aspirin? 

The Problem

• Biologics, advanced treatments made with cells, genes, and complex proteins are a rapidly growing class of medicines with groundbreaking potential to cure cancers, autoimmune disorders, and rare diseases. They are incredibly fragile and very sensitive to temperature changes so they must be kept frozen at ultra-cold temperatures in an unbroken “cold chain” from factory to patient.
• A dose worth hundreds of thousands of dollars can be ruined from just one power outage, one shipping delay, or one freezer failure. The high cost and complexity places an extraordinary burden on the health system and prevents many patients from having access to advanced medicines.  
• The cold chain is expensive, complex, and hard to scale. It adds tens of billions of dollars in cost every year and only a handful of specialized medical centers can handle ultra-cold requirements. The inherent logistical challenges in changing this cold supply chain are a significant barrier to innovation and make biologics inaccessible to most Americans.  
• Americans shouldn’t miss out on life-changing treatments just because a freezer got too warm or the nearest qualified center is hundreds of miles away. 

The Solution

• The BioStabilization Systems (BoSS) program aims to make the seemingly impossible problem of room temperature biologics possible by pioneering new technologies to produce, store, and ship cells at room temperature, without any need for refrigeration. The program will eliminate deep freeze requirements, paving the way for a new era of efficient and resilient manufacturing and distribution of biologic drugs.
• BoSS seeks to boldly integrate approaches inspired by nature and materials science to establish ways for cell therapies and biologics to endure long-term shelf-life stability.  
• Organisms in nature have found ways to survive extreme conditions and BoSS will adapt these strategies using similar protective molecules and advanced materials.
• Unlocking room-temperature preservation will drive down cost, reduce the risk of product losses, and expand access to life-saving medicines for all Americans, even those living in the most remote and resource-limited communities.
• If successful, BoSS technologies could break open the bio-economy with new tools ready for commercial adoption. 

Only ARPA-H can...

• Unite the ranks of American cell and gene manufacturers, experts in stress-tolerant organisms, bioprocessing specialists, device engineers, and commercialization partners with a diverse team of international scientists.
• Take the 200-degree leap to make the cold chain obsolete by taking on the audacious goal replacing ultra-cold cryogenic storage with stable, room temperature cell preservation.
• Revolutionize health security and access, enabling the U.S. to respond faster to crises and stockpile biologics ahead of demand with support from domestic biomanufacturers.