STAT+: ARPA-H to invest $62 million to develop FDA-authorized AI to help treat heart failure

ARPA-H, the government agency that funds cutting edge health research, plans to commit $62.7 million to develop artificial intelligence bots that direct treatment of heart failure. Among the goals of the program, called ADVOCATE, is to produce partially autonomous AI devices authorized by the Food and Drug Administration to help treat patients, including assessing symptom severity, prescribing drugs, and ordering lab tests. ARPA-H on Wednesday announced the first batch of awards to health tech companies Atman Health, UpDoc, Tempus AI, and teams from Stanford University, Duke University, and the Kaiser Permanente health system. ARPA-H may still fund additional teams. The amount committed for the first year is $33.7 million, and the remainder may be renegotiated up or down. Many of the 6.7 million Americans with heart failure don’t get optimal treatment because of difficulty accessing specialists, and the hope is that AI agents developed with ARPA-H funding can help address the gap, especially in rural and other underserved settings. STAT+ Exclusive Story Already have an account? Log in This article is exclusive to STAT+ subscribers Unlock this article — plus in-depth analysis, newsletters, premium events, and news alerts. Already have an account? Log in View All Plans To read the rest of this story subscribe to STAT+. Subscribe