Overview
- ARPA-H moved teams at Duke, the University of Colorado Boulder, and Columbia into the next phase after animal studies showed joint tissue regrowth, with first-in-human tests possible as early as next year pending safety work.
- The Colorado team secured contingent support of up to $33.5 million and formed Renovare Therapeutics to advance a single-shot slow‑release drug and a protein repair kit that rebuilt damaged cartilage in animal models within weeks.
- Duke researchers reported three drug-based therapies that restored cartilage and bone and lowered pain markers in animals, and they now plan advanced safety and dosing studies before seeking FDA clearance to begin trials in people.
- Columbia engineers created a 3D‑printed, biodegradable knee scaffold seeded with bone and cartilage cells that maintained natural‑like function in cadaver tests using robotics, designed for severe bone‑on‑bone cases.
- Program rules require trials to reflect those most affected, including a majority of women and inclusion of Native and Alaska Native participants, and they set a pricing target no higher than 25% of today’s standard care to widen access if any therapy succeeds.