CAMBRIDGE, Mass.– Portal Biotechnologies has been awarded an $8 million contract from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) to support the development of a compact, field-deployable device capable of engineering red blood cells (RBCs) for rapid, point-of-care cell therapy.
The project is part of DARPA’s “Red Blood Cell Factory” initiative, which aims to make cell therapies faster, more accessible, and adaptable for use in austere environments. Portal’s device will enable clinicians to load diverse therapeutic cargo directly into red blood cells within minutes, bypassing the need for specialized cleanroom facilities and complex supply chains.
“This is about turning today’s centralized, resource-intensive cell therapy model into something as portable and accessible as a medical backpack,” said Armon Sharei, Ph.D., CEO of Portal Biotechnologies. “Just as smartphones transformed information access, we believe portable cell engineering can redefine how and where therapies are delivered.”
At the heart of the project is Portal’s proprietary mechanoporation technology, which uses ultra-thin silicon membranes to temporarily open cell membranes and allow the delivery of therapeutic agents. This platform, capable of modifying a wide range of cell types, underpins Portal’s broader efforts to simplify and scale cell therapy production.
The DARPA-funded project builds on Portal’s growing portfolio of bioengineering tools, including the recently launched MilliBooster — a clinical-scale cell modification cartridge — and the Galaxy instrument, which has already gained traction across over 50 industry partnerships, including with leading pharmaceutical companies.
The RBC Factory initiative focuses on developing a system that can produce patient-ready cell therapies on-demand, a capability with far-reaching implications for both military operations and civilian healthcare in remote or emergency settings.
“Our team’s rapid development of scalable mechanoporation solutions has positioned us to tackle even the most complex cell types, like red blood cells,” Sharei said. “We’re proud to partner with DARPA in advancing the frontier of portable, personalized medicine.”
Portal, founded in 2023, has quickly emerged as a leader in next-generation cell therapy manufacturing. The DARPA contract reinforces its role in transforming how and where cell therapies are made — from hospital labs to front-line field units.
