ARPA-H BoSS Program

ARPA-H BoSS Program is a grant from ARPA-H that funds breakthrough research to eliminate the cold chain requirement for biologic medicines, including cell therapies and gene therapies. The BioStabilization Systems (BoSS) program supports teams developing technologies to produce, store, and ship cells and biologics at room temperature without refrigeration.

Eligibility is open to multidisciplinary teams including cell and gene manufacturers, bioprocessing specialists, device engineers, and commercialization partners. The program seeks proposals in two technical areas: cell interventions for stabilization and restoration, and scalable cell processing systems. Solution summaries were due February 2026, with solution pitches due March 2026.

ARPA-H anticipates that teaming across varied technical disciplines will be necessary to achieve program goals.

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

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. What ARPA-H needs to solve this problem BoSS will take inspiration from nature to revolutionize preservation technology.

The program has two technical areas: 1) development of cell interventions to enable stabilization and restoration and 2) engineering of scalable cell processing systems that can deploy biostabilization strategies. Notice ID: ARPA-H-SOL-26-136 ARPA-H invites interested parties to review the solicitation which is posted and maintained on SAM.

gov. The solicitation outlines the opportunity and its requirements, key dates and deadlines, submission documents and templates, evaluation criteria for submissions, and information on how to apply. Sidebars: Interested parties have the option to schedule meetings with the Program Manager and team for a 10 minute discussion for clarification about program details. The deadline to register is January 16, 2026.

Additional information is forthcoming. Solution Summary: A summary is required to submit a proposal. Due date for potential performers: February 19, 2026 Due date for IV & V potential partners: April 17, 2026 Solution Pitch: Encouraged submissions preferred.

Additional details will be provided in a solution summary feedback letter. Due date for potential performers: March 26, 2026 Due date for IV & V potential partners: May 15, 2026 Details are estimates and subject to change. Please reference the solicitation for the most up-to-date information.

Review Solicitation Details Ready to apply? To submit, sign-in to the ARPA-H Solutions site . Frequently Asked Questions Review responses to common questions about this funding opportunity asked by others in the proposer community.

You can also ask a question. Review FAQs and Ask A Question This is an optional event for the proposer community to learn more about this opportunity, ask questions, and make connections. This event is not intended for patients, patient advocates, the media, or general interest audiences.

View the Proposers' Day recording View the Lightning Talk presentations ARPA-H anticipates that teaming will be necessary to achieve the goals of BoSS. Prospective proposers are encouraged to form teams with varied technical expertise to submit a research proposal. To facilitate this process, we have created a teaming page where prospective proposers can share their profiles and learn more about other interested parties.

"Many of the newest drugs on the market rely on very cold storage temperatures which contribute to ballooning price tags. If we can remove water from cells or otherwise immobilize cellular components we can eliminate the need for deep freezing and break open the potential in the growing market of cell-based therapies."