The Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority’s (BARDA) Division of Research, Innovation, and Ventures (DRIVe) has recently announced a new area of interest (AOI) under its Broad Agency Announcement (BAA). This competitive solicitation aims to foster the development of advanced microphysiological models of human tissues, with a particular emphasis on modeling components of the immune system.
What are Tissue Chips?
These innovative “tissue chips” are designed to mimic the structure and function of human tissues, providing unprecedented insights into how drugs and treatments interact with the human body. This breakthrough technology opens up new avenues for addressing mechanistic questions of health and disease, as well as evaluating medical treatments and interventions.
Creating accurate in vitro models of human tissue, both in normal function and disease states, is a crucial step towards accelerating drug discovery. This is especially pertinent in our current era, where rapid identification of new therapeutics is essential for effectively responding to pandemics and other chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear (CBRN) emergencies.
ImmuneChip+ Program
BARDA’s initiative aims to support the development and characterization of advanced tissue chips that replicate components and interactions of vital human tissues, including the immune system, under homeostatic conditions. As part of the ImmuneChip+ program, BARDA is seeking technological advances that focus on the integration of multiple tissue models with well-controlled immune system components. This includes platform manufacturing and tissue monitoring solutions, and the recapitulation of existing clinical data in response to injury, morbidity, and various medical countermeasures.
Submissions to the BAA that qualify for this funding should preferably focus on monitoring toxicological, inflammatory, and immune (innate/adaptive) responses to CBRN threat agents. The ultimate objective of the program is to leverage the development and application of these platforms to rapidly test potential treatments and preventative measures. This will help identify specific indicators or mechanisms that enhance our understanding of injury and disease.
BARDA’s DRIVe Proposal Deadline
The deadline for full proposals is 4:30 ET, September 25, 2023. For more details, check out AOI 16 in Amendment 44 of the BAA (BAA-18-100-SOL-00003) on the official government website.
The BAA sets forth the advanced research and development AOIs and solicits proposals focusing on these areas to protect the United States against public health emergency threats. This initiative by BARDA’s DRIVe is a significant step forward in our collective efforts to understand and combat health emergencies, and it promises to revolutionize our approach to drug discovery and disease understanding.
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