The Salk Institute secured a $41.3 million ARPA-H award to advance sonogenetics toward potential therapies, beginning with peripheral neuropathies. The funding supports development of core biological tools and ultrasound delivery systems over the next five years, with preclinical evidence generation intended to support human clinical trial entry. Sreekanth Chalasani, PhD, the grant principal investigator and co-founder of SonoNeu, said the program aims to create a drug-free approach that delivers therapy precisely where and when it is needed. The platform pairs engineered ultrasound-sensitive proteins with wearable ultrasound technology to achieve cellular and temporal control. Sonogenetics originated from Chalasani’s earlier work linking specific proteins to ultrasound sensitivity and demonstrating activation in model systems, with the ARPA-H effort described as a step toward translation. If successful, it would broaden the therapeutic delivery toolbox beyond systemically dosed biologics and small molecules. The immediate industry relevance will be whether the delivery system and engineered protein activation can demonstrate repeatable efficacy and safety at clinically feasible ultrasound parameters.