DARPA Seeking Proposals for Smart Red Blood Cells Program

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) is soliciting proposals for its Smart Red Blood Cells (Smart-RBC) program, which aims to engineer red blood cells to contain novel biological features that can safely, temporarily and reliably alter human physiology.

The program seeks to develop “smart red blood cells” capable of sensing extracellular biomarkers, making autonomous decisions based on those signals and producing effector molecules that alter metabolism or physiology. DARPA intends to explore the potential of these SRBCs to enhance human performance and improve survival through hemostasis products.

The agency noted that the Smart-RBC program does not include clinical trials or direct testing in humans. Offers are due Jan. 14