# Red Blood Cell Factory (RBC-Factory)

Canonical: https://abierto.us/opportunities/darpaps2508

- Solicitation number: DARPA-PS-25-08
- Notice type: Solicitation
- Status: Closed. Deadline was January 28, 2025
- Department: Department of Defense
- Agency: Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency
- Contracting office: Def Advanced Research Projects Agcy (HR0011)
- NAICS: 541714 Research and Development in Biotechnology (except Nanobiotechnology)
- Product or service code: AC12 National Defense R&D Services; Department Of Defense - Military; Applied Research
- First posted: December 18, 2024
- Last posted: January 16, 2025
- SAM.gov: https://sam.gov/workspace/contract/opp/3e752c2630ad4ce38fc296c47c39b264/view

## Description

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) is soliciting innovative proposals in support of the Red Blood Cell Factory program (RBC-Factory). RBC-Factory will create a medical device-based platform to insert additional biologically active components (e.g., cargos) into human red blood cells (RBCs) and assess the ethical, legal, and social impacts (ELSI) of the device(s) for cargo insertion and the mRBCs, respectively.

RBCs with cargos (aka modified red blood cells; mRBCs) that are reintroduced into a host will endow the recipient with additional protections and/or performance maintenance thus allowing warfighters to operate more effectively in dangerous or extreme environments. RBC-Factory will produce a prototype device and knowledge about the parameter space (e.g., molecular weight, size, mass-to-charge, viscosity, hydrophobicity, etc.) for cargos that can be added to create mRBCs.

## Publications

- December 18, 2024: Solicitation, due January 28, 2025. Notice a827db7d0ea648c5aef15dbc2ad9ccfe. https://sam.gov/workspace/contract/opp/a827db7d0ea648c5aef15dbc2ad9ccfe/view
- January 16, 2025: Solicitation, due January 28, 2025. Notice 3e752c2630ad4ce38fc296c47c39b264. https://sam.gov/workspace/contract/opp/3e752c2630ad4ce38fc296c47c39b264/view

## Points of contact

- BAA Coordinator, RBC-Factory@darpa.mil

---
Source: SAM.gov Contract Opportunities bulk extract. Confirm deadlines on SAM.gov before responding. Cite https://abierto.us/opportunities/darpaps2508.