In April 2014, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) established the Biological Technologies Office (BTO) with a mandate to harness biological systems for defense applications. Now, with a budget of approximately $296 million, the office is poised to deliver a wave of innovations that could extend far beyond military use.
Justin Sanchez, who leads the BTO, outlined the office's priorities in a recent interview with Scientific American. Among the most ambitious efforts is the Living Foundries project, which aims to program microbes in bacteria and yeast to produce compounds for on-demand medication. Sanchez noted that teams have already generated close to 100 new compounds using these engineered pathways, with a goal of 1,000 molecules over the program's remaining three years.
Outpacing Infectious Disease
Another key focus for 2017 is the "Outpacing Infectious Disease" initiative, which explores DNA and RNA-based immunization. The approach involves instructing cells to produce antibodies against specific pathogens by providing the correct genetic code. Sanchez indicated that DARPA expects to make significant announcements on this front in the coming year.
The BTO is also advancing neurotechnology, particularly through the Luke prosthetic arm, named after the Star Wars character. DARPA recently delivered the first two commercially available Luke arms to the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. These devices, controlled via neural activity, lay the groundwork for a broader range of neural-controlled assistive technologies.
In addition to prosthetics, the office is dedicating resources to President Obama's BRAIN initiative, focusing on direct neural interfaces that could restore movement and sensation in patients with neuropsychiatric disorders. A related program, "biochronicity," investigates how biological functions are influenced by time.
When asked about potential political challenges under the new administration, Sanchez emphasized that DARPA's mission remains consistent regardless of the political climate. "Our mission at DARPA remains the same no matter what the political climate is," he said, adding that the mission transcends the political landscape.
Sanchez expressed confidence in the BTO's trajectory, stating, "I think we are really hitting our stride now, and the kind of things and developments we will see in 2017 will really blow our minds."
