Korea ARPA-H Project selects research teams for pain and cancer studies

Multiple research teams have been selected to participate in the 2026 Korea ARPA-H Project, a national initiative modeled after the U.S. program to address critical healthcare challenges such as aging populations and pandemics.

One project, led by Professor Jong-ho Kim of Catholic University Yeouido St. Mary's Hospital and Orthocare, focuses on visualizing and managing chronic pain in the elderly. The team aims to transform subjective pain reports into measurable data using AI-based musculoskeletal function assessments and digital rehabilitation technologies. The research consortium includes eight institutions and has a total budget of approximately 7.5 billion won.

A second project, led by UNIST and involving Artblood, targets the prevention of cancer metastasis. This research aims to develop a ‘theranostics’ platform for colorectal cancer using magnetic nanoparticles coated with red blood cell membranes to purify blood and inhibit metastasis. This project has a total government support scale of 8 billion won, with Artblood receiving 1.8 billion won to develop core material technologies and mass-production processes.