UC Davis-led researchers received up to $36.5 million from ARPA-H to test whether intracellular polymer gels can stabilize therapeutic cells for room-temperature storage and transport. The project targets a key bottleneck in cell therapy logistics: maintaining cell potency when cold-chain requirements limit manufacturing scale and global delivery. If successful, the platform could reduce cost and increase accessibility for cell-based treatments by removing or easing reliance on ultra-cold logistics. The study will also evaluate whether stabilization can preserve function across clinically relevant handling conditions. The funding reinforces ARPA-H’s focus on translational “systems” challenges where performance, storage, and delivery are tightly coupled to real-world therapeutic adoption.