Arizona State University Secures $38.8M DARPA Grant to Develop Military Medical Diagnostic Device DEPICT

On July 24, VCBeat (WeChat ID: vcbeat) learned from foreign media reports that Arizona State University (hereinafter referred to as “ASU”) announced it had secured $38.8 million in funding from the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). The funds will be used to research and develop a sheet-deployable, pinpoint-accurate medical device capable of determining within thirty minutes whether an individual has been exposed to weapons of mass destruction.

It is reported that the device is funded by the ECHO program of the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) and will be developed in phases over a four-year period. The proposed objective is to successfully create technology capable of identifying epigenetic signatures resulting from exposure to threat agents, enabling timely, highly specific medical diagnostic analysis, and revealing the type and timing of exposure to weapons of mass destruction.

ASU stated that the device they plan to develop will be capable of detecting health-impacting substances associated with weapons of mass destruction—including biological agents, radiation, chemicals, and explosives—from a single drop of blood. This technology may ultimately also be applied to simple, low-cost monitoring of epigenetic changes for the detection of various types of human diseases.

The ASU project, also known as “DEPICT,” is a device that employs novel methods to identify changes in global epigenetic profiles, diagnose the epigenetics and chemical toxicity of infectious pathogens, and leverage bioinformatics and machine learning tools to identify epigenetic biomarkers. Arizona State University states that this device demonstrates significant efficacy, enabling timely revelation of the nature and severity of risks.

“For a long time, ASU has been committed to cross-disciplinary collaboration, frequently partnering with businesses and government entities to continuously identify, address, and resolve major global challenges,” said Sethuraman Panchanathan, Executive Vice President of the ASU Knowledge Enterprise and Chief Research and Innovation Officer, in a statement. “Future combat technologies will increasingly rely on the rapid development and deployment of highly integrated, responsive technologies, such as the ECHO project.”

As early as June this year, DARPA awarded a $27.8 million contract to the Icahn School of Medicine to fund research on the ECHO device.

Arizona State University is the top-ranked research university in the Phoenix metropolitan area. Arizona State University pursues research that serves the public interest and bears primary responsibility for the socioeconomic and cultural vitality of the communities surrounding it. U.S. News & World Report has ranked ASU as the No. 1 university in innovation nationwide, ahead of Stanford University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

DARPA is the central research and development organization of the U.S. Department of Defense. Motivated by the technological surprises experienced in the early Space Age, U.S. leadership established DARPA, initially named the Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA). Over its 60-year history, DARPA has been dedicated to creating breakthrough technologies for national security, ensuring that the United States remains at the technological forefront. Without its own R&D facilities, DARPA operates as an innovation laboratory and incubator by collaborating with universities, corporations, and research institutions through providing ideas, creating challenges, building frameworks, and offering financial support.

(Compiled by: Xu Wenjuan)