HHS Awards ARMI Manufacturing USA Institute $51M for Foundry for American Biotechnology

The Advanced Regenerative Manufacturing Institute (ARMI) has been awarded $51 million over five years from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to develop an innovative “Priority Medicines on Demand” project. The project will serve as the nation’s first Foundry for American Biotechnology, aimed at producing technology solutions that enable the United States to better respond to health security threats, enhance daily medical care, and add to the U.S. bioeconomy. The Foundry will be managed by ARMI and the HHS Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR).

ARMI is one of 14 Manufacturing USA Institutes, and one of five Institutes led by the Department of Defense. While the creation and development of the Foundry will be led by HHS, the Foundry’s first project will have defense applications and contribute the ARMI’s mission of making practical the large-scale manufacturing of engineered tissues and tissue-related technologies.

“The Foundry’s first project will focus on maturing and validating small, portable, automated devices that could be transported easily to disaster locations to make necessary medicines on-site,” according to the HHS press release announcing the award. “ASPR is partnering with the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) to transition this technology to the Foundry from DARPA’s Battlefield Medicine and Make-It programs.”

ARMI has functioned in partnership with the Department of Defense (DOD) since conception, but this is the first time HHS will play a major partnership role. HHS’s investments is meant to support ASPR’s Priority Medicines on Demand program. With HHS, DOD, and ARMI all working together, this project exemplifies how the Manufacturing USA network is catalyzing partnerships to inside and outside of the government to further develop advanced manufacturing technologies in the U.S.

To learn more, please visit: https://www.hhs.gov/about/news/2020/02/10/hhs-pioneers-first-foundry-for-american-biotechnology.html.