President Biden announces $150 million in funding for cancer surgery technologies

President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden announced on Tuesday that $150 million in funding will be awarded to teams developing medical technologies to assist surgeons in removing cancerous tumors more accurately.

The Department of Health and Human Services’ Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H) will distribute the funds to eight teams working on imaging tools and microscopes to enhance visibility of critical structures during surgeries and ensure complete removal of cancer.

The initiative is part of the White House’s Cancer Moonshot program, which aims to decrease cancer-related deaths by 50% by 2047.

ARPA-H’s Contributions

ARPA-H, a new agency proposed by Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, was established in 2022 with $1 billion in funding over three years. The agency has already invested over $400 million in cancer treatment efforts.

The latest funding round focuses on technologies to improve solid tumor treatment.

ARPA-H Director Renee Wegrzyn emphasized the importance of precise cancer surgery to avoid repeat surgeries, cancer recurrence, and increased healthcare costs. The goal is to ensure cancer is completely removed during the initial surgery.

Division of Awards

The funds will be distributed among eight groups, including universities such as Dartmouth College, Johns Hopkins University, and Rice University. Each group will concentrate on different technological areas to enhance cancer surgery procedures.

Some groups will work on microscope technologies to visualize tumor surfaces, while others aim to identify microscopic remnants of cancer cells inside patients before completing the surgery. Imaging solutions to improve visibility of critical anatomy will also be explored.

The selected teams will be part of ARPA-H’s Precision Surgical Interventions program, focusing on developing user-friendly, cost-effective, and compatible solutions for cancer surgery.

Developers are required to test their devices in patient populations reflecting the diversity of the disease, prioritize affordability, and conduct testing in rural hospital settings.