ARPA-H Launches 1-CURE Program to Make Cancer Treatment Universal
March 30, 2026 · 2 min read
Arthur Griffin
The Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health on March 16 launched 1-CURE, a program that aims to compress cancer treatment from months into days using a single, low-cost radiotherapy approach that works across all tumor types — including metastatic and radiation-resistant cancers.
The One Comprehensive Universal Radiotherapy for Everyone program represents ARPA-H's most ambitious cancer initiative yet. It merges two emerging technologies: smart radiotherapy biomaterials that guide treatment and deliver sustained immune-enhancing agents, and an AI-driven treatment planning system designed to maximize effectiveness while minimizing toxicity.
How 1-CURE Plans to Upend Cancer Care
The program combines smart radiotherapy biomaterials (SRBs) with ultra-high dose rate FLASH radiotherapy, a technique that delivers radiation in milliseconds rather than minutes. The SRBs act as multifunctional implants that simultaneously guide the radiation beam, release immune-boosting agents, and trigger an abscopal effect — where treating one tumor causes the immune system to attack distant metastases.
The second technical pillar is an abscopal treatment planning system (ATPS) powered by AI. Instead of treating each tumor individually, the ATPS would calculate how to irradiate a primary tumor in a way that maximizes the body's immune response against cancer cells everywhere.
If successful, the approach could replace multi-month chemotherapy and radiation regimens with a single brief treatment, dramatically cutting both patient suffering and healthcare costs.
Who Should Apply
ARPA-H is seeking interdisciplinary teams with expertise spanning radiation oncology, biomaterials science, immunology, and artificial intelligence. Solution summaries are due April 15, 2026, with full proposals due May 22, 2026.
The agency specifically called for "bold thinkers" in its program announcement, signaling a preference for unconventional approaches over incremental improvements.
The Broader ARPA-H Momentum
The 1-CURE launch is one of four new programs ARPA-H announced in March alone, alongside DELPHI (biosensor development), GLIDE (lymphatic system targeting), and OCULAB (ocular health monitoring). The pace reflects the agency's push to build a robust portfolio before FY2027 budget negotiations begin.
For research institutions and biotech companies working at the intersection of AI and oncology, this is a rare opportunity to pursue high-risk, high-reward science with federal backing. Researchers seeking funding intelligence on ARPA-H and other health research programs can explore detailed analyses on the Granted blog.