CaseBioscience® Joins Team Awarded Up to $7.3 Million by ARPA-H to Advance Ambient Preservation of Cell Therapies
FORT COLLINS, Colo., Oct. 1, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- CaseBioscience® today announced its participation in a multidisciplinary team led by Likarda that has been awarded up to $7.3 million by the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H) through its BioStabilization Systems (BoSS) program.
The BoSS program aims to foster new technologies to produce, store, and ship cells at room temperature without the need for refrigeration. As the BoSS team states, the goal is to make the most advanced biological medicines as "easy to ship and store as aspirin."
Led by Likarda, the Reversible Ambient Biostabilization (RAB) team is one of only three teams selected for the BoSS program. The team brings together expertise spanning preservation science, cell biology, cellular metabolism, bioengineering, immunology, stem cell biology, formulation, and manufacturing.
Program at a Glance
- Program: ARPA-H BioStabilization Systems (BoSS)
- Project: Reversible Ambient Biostabilization (RAB)
- Award: Up to $7.3 million
- Team: CaseBioscience, Draper, CPSI Biotech, Fresenius Kabi, Likarda, MiNK Therapeutics, and the Spencer Lab at the University of Colorado Boulder
- Objective: Develop new approaches for the ambient storage and transport of living cellular medicines, reducing dependence on cold-chain logistics
- Initial Phase: 15 months, commencing September 24, 2026
The team will work to reduce dependence on cold-chain logistics by integrating specialized physiological mechanisms, novel cell-protective strategies, and bioengineering approaches to develop new methods for the ambient storage and transport of cellular medicines.
Cell therapies have demonstrated the potential to transform the treatment of cancer and other serious diseases, but their broader accessibility remains constrained in part by the complexity and cost of cold-chain logistics. Many cell-based products require specialized preservation, storage, and transportation conditions to maintain viability and function. Technologies capable of stabilizing therapeutic cells at ambient temperatures could significantly simplify distribution, reduce logistical barriers, and help expand access to these advanced medicines.
"The concept of preserving living cells in a dry state has been pursued for more than two decades, but significant scientific and engineering barriers have yielded limited success," said Dr. John Baust, a leader in the field of biopreservation and collaborator on the project with CPSI Biotech. "ARPA-H's BoSS program provides an unprecedented opportunity to tackle this from multiple scientific and engineering directions simultaneously. If successful, this work could represent a paradigm shift in how biologics are preserved, stored, and distributed."
The program also builds on research with deep roots within the CaseBioscience scientific team. Dr. Lynda McGinnis, R&D Director at CaseBioscience, helped pioneer early research into desiccated storage of sperm more than two decades ago.
"This is a great opportunity to revisit research that some of us started in Boston 25 years ago," said Dr. McGinnis. "It's time for a whole new paradigm of how we store and transport cells for clinical therapies and even reproductive medicine."
CaseBioscience® will contribute its expertise in clinical media formulation, biopreservation, and cellular metabolism to the development and evaluation of novel approaches for long-term ambient stabilization of therapeutic cells.
"We are excited to be part of a program with the scientific depth and resources to pursue ideas that could meaningfully advance the field," said Dr. Kevin Flynn, Chief Scientific Officer at CaseBioscience. "This is an opportunity to bring our capabilities to an exceptional collaboration, explore what has not yet been possible, and turn that potential into progress."
"We are very proud that CaseBioscience has been selected by ARPA-H to be part of the BoSS program. This award is a strong validation of our science, our preservation technology, and the team behind it. Making living cell therapies as easy to store and ship as conventional medicines would fundamentally change who can access them, and we are honored to be working alongside such an exceptional group of partners towards that goal," said Ami Mezezi, Co-Founder and Managing Director of CaseBioscience.
The first phase of the BoSS program is now underway, with the RAB team beginning its collaborative research and development efforts.
About CaseBioscience®
CaseBioscience is a life sciences company developing and manufacturing advanced media and preservation solutions for cell therapy, regenerative medicine, and assisted reproductive technology. Combining expertise in cell biology, cellular metabolism, formulation science, and biopreservation, CaseBioscience develops solutions designed to support cell health, consistency, and performance from research through clinical applications. The company operates under an ISO 13485:2016-certified quality system, with an FDA-registered manufacturing facility and research and development operations in Colorado. CaseBioscience also partners with biotechnology and pharmaceutical organizations to develop and manufacture specialized media and preservation solutions.
For more information, visit CaseBioscience.com.
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