ARPA-H Launches Program to Develop Replacement Brain Tissue
Studies of forms of brain cancer and other slow, progressive damage to specific regions of the brain have demonstrated that the information stored in at least some parts of the brain can move around. Undamaged parts of the brain can be repurposed in response to damage. This means that it is in principle possible to place new, functional tissue into some portions of the living brain and expect that tissue to become used and useful over time, a replacement for damaged tissue. Researchers are initially focused on the neocortex, one of the most plastic areas of the brain. The biggest challenge is to be able to engineer suitable neocortical tissue for transplantation, growing it from a patient's own cells.
The Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H), an agency within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), today unveiled its groundbreaking Functional Repair of Neocortical Tissue (FRONT) program, a transformative initiative to restore brain function. The neocortex, the largest part of the brain, is critical for sensory perception, motor control, and decision-making. Damage to this area - due to conditions like stroke, traumatic injury, or neurodegeneration, such as Alzheimer's disease - has long led to irreversible damage, leaving individuals dependent on costly therapies or caregivers. The FRONT program aims to change that, using cutting-edge neurodevelopmental principles and stem cell technology to regenerate brain tissue and restore lost functions.
FRONT will work to develop a curative therapy for over 20 million U.S. adults suffering from chronic neocortical brain damage caused by stroke, neurodegeneration, and trauma, providing life-changing treatments for these individuals. The FRONT program spans five years, with strict performance metrics and a focus on preparing for human clinical trials. ARPA-H will solicit proposals under its Innovative Solutions Opening (ISO) in two key areas: graft tissue generation and engraftment procedures for functional brain recovery. ARPA-H encourages collaboration among experts across disciplines to meet the program's ambitious goals.