CMU-led project to fight obesity, Type 2 diabetes receives ARPA-H backing

A Carnegie Mellon University-led team of researchers has secured an award of up to $34.9 million from the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H). The funds will fast track a bioelectronic implant that could radically improve treatment options and significantly reduce the cost of care for patients with obesity and Type 2 diabetes.

The award will drive the accelerated development and testing of “Rx On-site Generation Using Electronics (ROGUE),” a bioelectrical device that hosts a “living pharmacy,” consisting of engineered cells that produce biological therapy to treat Type 2 diabetes and obesity. The device will offer continuous, adjustable, and low-cost therapy deployment via a minimally invasive procedure performed in an outpatient clinic. Additionally, in a stark contrast from the traditional delivery of biologics, it will eliminate the need for weekly injections, trips to the pharmacy, and careful storage of expensive medications.

“This project is the peak deployment of several core technologies we have developed and refined over the past five years, as part of the Bioelectric Medicine Initiative at Carnegie Mellon University,” said Carnegie Mellon University materials science and bioengineer Tzahi Cohen-Karni, who serves as primary investigator on the ARPA-H award. “Bioelectronic devices offer a myriad of benefits, including adjustable therapy delivery, dynamic monitoring, and reduced biologics healthcare costs. We are leveraging our collective strengths to develop an effective and sustainable solution to reduce the burden of chronic care for two global epidemics—obesity and Type 2 diabetes.”

ARPA-H is a federal funding agency established in 2022 to support research that has “the potential to transform entire areas of medicine and health.”

The collaborative team includes 17 co-PIs from Boston University, Georgia Institute of Technology, Northwestern University, Rice University, UC Berkeley, the Mayo Clinic, and New York City-based Bruder Consulting and Venture Group. It includes engineers, physicians, and multidisciplinary specialists in synthetic biology, materials science, electrical engineering, and other fields.

We are leveraging our collective strengths to develop an effective and sustainable solution to reduce the burden of chronic care for two global epidemics—obesity and Type 2 diabetes.

Tzahi Cohen-Karni, professor, biomedical engineering and materials science and engineering

“Rice Biotech Launch Pad is determined to facilitate the clinical translation and commercialization of this breakthrough and market disruptive, first-in-class technology,” said Rice University bioengineer Omid Veiseh, co-investigator on the ARPA-H award. “We are developing a minimally invasive implant that can produce a year’s supply of a treatment for chronic diseases like Type 2 diabetes and obesity. With a simple, once-a-year procedure, ROGUE will replace current treatments that have to be administered daily, weekly, or monthly.”

This effort is funded under ARPA-H’s REACT program and includes funding for a first-in-human clinical trial for patients facing obesity and Type 2 diabetes. The trial preparation is slated to begin in the fifth year of the six-year project.

This project is supported by the Engineering Research Accelerator. Additional researchers on the project include Carnegie Mellon faculty members Adam Feinberg, Charlie Ren, Phil Campbell, and Subha Das.

Photo (top) from Brandon Martin/Rice University.