DARPAâs Technologies for Host Resilience program will study the biology of host tolerance in animals before extending the programâs scope to treating humans, the agency said Tuesday.
âOur aim with THoR is to lay the foundation for new treatments that would enable the body to more easily and safely cope with infection,â said Col. Matt Hepburn, DARPA program manager.
âAmong other potential advantages, these new treatments would prevent the bodyâs overreaction to infection and buy time for the individualâs natural recovery mechanisms to kick in,â Hepburn added.
DARPA intends for the THoR program to minimize the use of antibiotics, bolster efforts to decrease microbesâ resistance to antibiotic and develop treatment for sepsis.
In addition to animal studies, the program is meant to identify biological tolerance mechanisms and test pro-tolerance interventions on animal populations.
DARPA plans to hold an event on April 27 to update participants on the technical objectives of THoR.