The Biden-Harris Administration has announced a significant investment of up to $150 million from the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H) to support innovative research aimed at improving surgical outcomes for cancer patients. This funding will be allocated to eight teams across the country, pursuing groundbreaking ideas under the Precision Surgical Interventions (PSI) program.

The announcement was made by President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden in New Orleans, emphasizing the administration's commitment to reducing the cancer death rate in the United States by at least half by 2047. The funding is part of the revitalized Cancer Moonshot initiative, which aims to prevent more than 4 million cancer deaths and improve the experience of individuals affected by cancer.

The PSI program focuses on making surgical procedures more effective for the nearly 2 million Americans diagnosed with solid tumor cancers each year. The goal is to reduce the need for repeat surgeries, minimize damage to healthy tissue, and ultimately save lives. The first eight awardees include prestigious institutions such as Dartmouth College, Johns Hopkins University, Rice University, Tulane University, University of California, San Francisco, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, University of Washington, and Cision Vision.

These projects are working towards enhancing various aspects of the surgical experience. They aim to improve surgeons' ability to visualize crucial structures like blood vessels and nerves throughout surgery, develop next-generation microscopes and imaging technology for more precise cancer cell removal, and create innovative techniques for assessing the completeness of tumor removal in real-time during surgery.

Since the relaunch of the Cancer Moonshot in 2022, the Biden-Harris Administration has been actively collaborating with private companies, healthcare providers, research institutions, patient advocacy groups, and the Federal Government to accelerate progress in cancer prevention, early detection, innovation, and support for patients and their families.

Recent efforts by the administration include the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services awarding $9 million in grants to improve access to life-saving cancer screenings in underserved communities. Additionally, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services released a proposed rule enabling Indian Health Services (IHS) and Tribal facilities to receive separate payment for high-cost drugs for Medicare patients, enhancing cancer treatment accessibility in Tribal communities.

The $150 million in ARPA-H awards will fund research efforts across the country, with notable projects led by Tulane University, Rice University, and the University of Washington. These institutions will develop advanced imaging systems and techniques to visualize individual cells on the surface of removed tumors, allowing surgeons to assess whether more cancer cells remain in the patient before the surgery concludes.

Meanwhile, Johns Hopkins University, University of California, San Francisco, and the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign will focus on inventing new microscopes and tools to identify microscopic cancer remnants within the patient. Their aim is to ensure all remaining cancer cells are removed before the end of the procedure.

Lastly, Dartmouth College, Johns Hopkins University, and Cision Vision will develop dye-based techniques and other novel methods to visualize critical structures like blood vessels and nerves during surgery. This will minimize damage to the patient during the procedure.

The Biden-Harris Administration remains steadfast in its belief that beating cancer is achievable through collective efforts. The ARPA-H awards announced today will fund research projects nationwide, bringing hope and progress towards a future where cancer is no longer a life-threatening disease.