Story thread · 3 reports / 3 sources

UCSD granted $11.3M to develop ‘smart' blood cells to improve military

nbcsandiego.com · 13dShare

UC San Diego researchers have received an $11.3 million contract to develop “smart” red blood cells to give soldiers an advantage on the battlefield, it was announced Monday. The funding comes from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, a research and development agency of the U.S. Defense Department responsible for development of emerging technologies for the military. A three-year project, researchers will attempt to optimize red blood cells to carry more oxygen to improve performance in military personnel. “This DARPA award is a testament to UC San Diego’s commitment to advancing cutting-edge research and innovation,” said Dr. John Carethers, vice chancellor for Health Sciences at UC San Diego. “DARPA follows a `moonshot’ model, where the goal is nearly impossible but successful projects can be highly impactful, and our researchers tackle those challenges head on in order to push the boundaries of biomedical science.” The idea of the funding is that if the oxygen delivery ca

First report: Darpa Awards UC San Diego Up to $11.3 Million for ‘Smarter’ Red Blood Cells — genengnews.com, 14d