November 1, 2021
The Lupus Research Alliance (LRA) responded to a request from U.S. Representatives Diana DeGette and Fred Upton to share input on issues related to the proposed establishment of a new agency, the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H).
Our letter emphasizes that while we recognize the value of research that is not targeted to a specific disease, the LRA encourages a focus on autoimmune diseases and specifically those that disproportionately impact traditionally underserved populations. In addition, the LRA expressed the importance of the proposed new agency to collaborate across non-governmental as well as government agencies, especially with disease-focused organizations to ensure that the needs of patients are the core driver of ARPA-H’s activities. Read the letter here.
Background on ARPA-H
The mission of ARPA-H will be: to make pivotal investments in break-through technologies and broadly applicable platforms, capabilities, resources, and solutions that have the potential to transform important areas of medicine and health for the benefit of all patients and that cannot readily be accomplished through traditional research or commercial activity.
