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CaseBioscience® and ARPA-H Collaboration

In a significant development within the field of biotechnology, CaseBioscience® has announced its participation in a multidisciplinary collaboration led by Likarda. This innovative team has received funding from the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H), totaling up to $7.3 million, aimed at advancing the storage of cell therapies at room temperature.

The funding comes from ARPA-H’s BioStabilization Systems (BoSS) program, which is focused on promoting new technologies for the manufacture, storage, and transportation of cells without the need for refrigeration. The goal is to make biological products easy to ship and store, akin to how everyday medications like aspirin are handled.

The Reversible Ambient Biostabilization (RAB) team, one of only three selected for this prestigious project, encompasses a variety of expertise including preservation science, cell biology, bioengineering, immunology, and stem cell biology. The main objective is to develop novel strategies that can allow living cell-based medicines to be stored and transported at room temperature.

Overview of the BoSS Program

• - Project: Reversible Ambient Biostabilization (RAB)
• - Funding: Up to $7.3 million
• - Team Members: CaseBioscience, Draper, CPSI Biotech, Fresenius Kabi, Likarda, MiNK Therapeutics, and the Spencer Lab at the University of Colorado Boulder
• - Goal: Reduce reliance on cold chain logistics for the storage and transportation of living cell therapies
• - Duration: Initial phase lasting 15 months starting from September 24, 2026

To achieve these goals, the team plans to integrate specialized physiological mechanisms with innovative cell protection strategies, using bioengineering approaches to revolutionize how cellular medicines are stored and transported. While cell therapies show promise in transforming the treatment of diseases such as cancer, their distribution challenges stem from the complex requirements for maintaining viable storage conditions.

Overcoming Challenges in Cell Therapy Distribution

Many cell-based products necessitate unique preservation, storage, and transportation conditions to maintain their functionality and viability. The ability to stabilize therapeutic cells at room temperature could significantly simplify distribution, break logistical barriers, and enhance access to these advanced medicines.

Dr. John Baust, a leading expert in biopreservation associated with CPSI Biotech, noted, “The concept of preserving living cells in a dry state has been pursued for over two decades. However, significant scientific and technical hurdles have limited successes until now. The ARPA-H BoSS program offers a remarkable opportunity to tackle this problem from various scientific and technical perspectives simultaneously. If successful, this work could lead to a paradigm shift in how biologics are conserved, stored, and distributed.”

The initiative also builds on research efforts deeply rooted within CaseBioscience. Dr. Lynda McGinnis, Director of the R&D department at CaseBioscience, was a pioneer in the early research surrounding the dry storage of sperm more than two decades ago. “It’s an excellent opportunity to rekindle the research some of us began 25 years ago in Boston. It’s time for a completely new paradigm regarding how we store and transport cells for clinical therapies and even for reproductive medicine,” said Dr. McGinnis.

CaseBioscience® is contributing its expertise in formulating clinical culture media, biopreservation, and cell metabolism to the development of new approaches aimed at long-term stabilization of therapeutic cells under room temperature conditions. Dr. Kevin Flynn, Chief Scientific Officer at CaseBioscience, expressed enthusiasm about participating in a program that possesses the scientific depth and resources necessary to explore ideas that could significantly advance the discipline.

“This is an opportunity to bring our capabilities into an extraordinary collaboration, exploring new possibilities and translating that potential into progress,” Dr. Flynn remarked.

Ami Mezezi, co-founder and Managing Director of CaseBioscience, stated, “We are proud that CaseBioscience has been selected by ARPA-H for the BoSS program. This award is an impressive validation of our scientific work, our preservation technology, and the team behind it. Achieving the ability to store and ship living cell-based therapies as easily as conventional medicines would fundamentally change access to these therapies, and it is an honor to jointly pursue this goal with such an exceptional group of partners.”

The first phase of the BoSS program is now underway, and the RAB team has commenced its collaborative research and development efforts.

About CaseBioscience®

CaseBioscience is a life sciences company that develops and manufactures advanced media and preservation solutions for cell therapy, regenerative medicine, and assisted reproductive technology. By combining expertise in cell biology, cell metabolism, formulation science, and biopreservation, CaseBioscience creates solutions designed to support cell health, consistency, and performance from research through clinical applications. The company operates under an ISO 13485:2016-certified quality management system, and has an FDA-registered production facility along with research and development departments located in Colorado. Moreover, CaseBioscience collaborates with biotech and pharmaceutical companies to develop and manufacture specialized media and preservation solutions. For more information, visit CaseBioscience.com.