The ARPA-H Building Resilient Environments for Air and Total Health (BREATHE) program aims to develop integrated systems that provide continual measurement and risk assessment of indoor air quality and deploy real-time interventions to reduce airborne threats to human health.

Funding for awardees varies in amount and is contingent upon the recipient meeting aggressive milestones specific to their project.

The BREATHE performer teams are led by:  

• Mayo Clinic, in Rochester, Minnesota, is developing a biosensor based on microfluidic droplet CRISPR technology. The team will apply cutting-edge technologies like agent-based models and digital twin models to assess the risk of people getting sick indoors. The team will demonstrate their technology in Mayo Clinic emergency departments in Minnesota, Arizona, and Florida. Awarded 22 September 2025.
• Poppy Health, Inc., in Winter Park, FL, is developing an amplification-free genetic sensor that sends a tiny electrical signal when it recognizes a target microbe in the air, so buildings can respond accordingly.  The team will demonstrate their technology in 60 schools that span the United States to protect children and staff from getting sick indoors. Awarded 12 September 2025.
• SafeTraces, Inc, in Pleasanton, CA, is developing a novel microarray qPCR biosensor, which utilizes a unique positional printing method to detect a broad spectrum of microbes. The team will develop software that triggers a new operating mode for buildings when risk levels are high, including deploying their technology in Defense Health Administration Medical Centers to protect vulnerable patients from airborne illnesses. Awarded 10 September 2025.
• Virginia Tech, is developing a new biosensor that enables real-time, ultrasensitive detection of specific pathogens and allergens using nanobody-based technology. The project will also deliver software that translates data from the biosensor, building, community, and environment to respiratory risk, and tools to optimize proven interventions that reduce bioaerosol concentrations and maintain healthy conditions. The team will demonstrate their technology across multiple daycare centers. Awarded 3 September 2025.