The Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H) is a health innovation agency within HHS created in 2022 to accelerate high‑impact, high‑risk biomedical breakthroughs. It was formally authorized by Congress and signed into law on March 15, 2022. Its mission is to fund pivotal, high‑risk/high‑reward technologies that traditional research or commercial pathways struggle to deliver—mirroring the DARPA model but focused on health. ARPA‑H aims to transform areas such as disease prevention, diagnostics, therapeutics, clinical trials, bioengineering, and health systems innovation.
Latest News
ARPA-H announces EVIDENT’s first research teams to transform behavioral health
The EVIDENT initiative builds on the Trump Administration’s executive order to accelerate medical treatments for serious mental illness – 4/21/26 – announced the first set of research teams for its Evidence-Based Validation & Innovation for Rapid Therapeutics in Behavioral Health (EVIDENT) initiative, which will collectively fund up to $139.4 million to help spur new, effective therapies for behavioral health. As part of the Trump Administration’s Executive Order to Accelerate Medical Treatments for Serious Mental Illness, EVIDENT will allocate at least $50 million to match state government investments in psychedelic research for populations with serious mental illness.
ARPA-H fast-tracks regenerative breakthroughs to transform osteoarthritis care
Agency’s first program on accelerated path to eliminate osteoarthritis for millions of Americans – 4/6/26 – announced Novel Innovations for Tissue Regeneration in Osteoarthritis (NITRO) program is one step closer to eradicating osteoarthritis (OA) by enabling joints to heal themselves. OA affects 32 million Americans per year, costing the system more than $132 billion annually, and it is still one of the leading causes of disability in the United States. There is currently no cure, and most treatments today only manage pain or replace joints with artificial parts. Instead of just fixing worn-out joints with metal and plastic, NITRO teams are working to regrow real, living tissue, returning joints to their healthy state and eliminating evidence of disease.
1-CURE program to transform cancer care with low-cost, widely accessible treatment
ARPA-H program to shorten treatment time from months to days – 3/16/26 – announced a new research and development effort called One Comprehensive Universal Radiotherapy for Everyone (1-CURE). 1-CURE will develop a radiotherapy treatment to battle all types of cancer, including metastatic and pediatric cancers, in a single, fast, low-cost, widely available procedure.
ARPA-H launches program to supercharge biosensor device development
New Delphi program will advance more affordable wearable and ingestible biosensors that securely report deep biological data to optimize care – 3/10/26 – announced the launch of its Delphi program, a bold initiative to advance low-cost biosensors that can monitor hormones, inflammatory markers, and other important biochemical signals.
ARPA-H opens first interventional clinical trials to outpace cancer in real time
Trials will continuously adjust cancer treatments to get ahead of each change in tumor response – 2/12/26 – announced the opening of the first of three adaptive oncology clinical trials, under its Advanced Analysis for Precision Cancer Therapy (ADAPT) program. The ADAPT trials pioneer a continuously adaptive approach to monitoring and treating cancers by integrating detailed biological data with real-time analytical insights to tailor therapy as tumors evolve. These trials mark a significant moment for ARPA-H, they are the first interventional clinical trials for the agency.