STOMP
Systematic Targeting Of MicroPlastics
Solicitation Status: Submissions Under Review. ARPA-H is reviewing proposals submitted to this program’s solicitation and are no longer accepting new submissions. Awards will be announced after negotiations are complete.
What if we could detect, understand the health impacts of, and remove toxic microplastics from the body?
The Problem
- Microplastics are everywhere and are constantly being ingested and inhaled by people worldwide.
- Microplastics have been linked to a wide variety of health issues ranging from metabolic disruption to stroke.
- Microplastics are hard to see and measure, and scientists still don’t understand which microplastics are the most toxic, how they get into organs and cells, and how they cause harm.
- There is no known, validated way to remove microplastics from the body.
The Solution
The STOMP program will advance three technical areas across two phases.
In phase one, STOMP will:
- develop best-in-class lab-based measurements that can accurately characterize nano-sized microplastic particles even in complex biological tissue.
- image and characterize microplastics in animal organs and cells, illuminating the complex mechanisms of microplastic trafficking and toxicity.
In phase two, STOMP will:
- translate best-in-class microplastic measurement techniques into affordable, scalable systems that can quantify a patient’s microplastic burden in a clinical setting.
- draw on measurement methods and mechanistic understanding to develop solutions that can remove microplastics from the human body.
Only ARPA-H can...
- Bring together a multidisciplinary field to make a revolutionary leap in understanding microplastics deposition in the human body.
- Give individuals and healthcare providers the tools to detect and reduce harmful microplastic exposure—particularly for vulnerable populations including pregnant women, children, patients with chronic disease, and workers with high occupational exposure.
Program Manager
"A key first step is to measure microplastics accurately and understand how they reach different organ systems, so we must establish a solid, shared foundation for precise measurement and mapping."
Program Manager
"It's physically impossible for us to completely divorce our lives from plastics. They are in everything we touch—our clothes, the materials from which we get our food and water. We need to understand how microplastics are distributed throughout the body and what harm they are causing before we can take the next leap forward to ultimately remove them and improve human health."
