ARPA-H funds tear-duct biosensor system for dry eye, systemic disease

COSMIC team and OCULAB program

According to a new announcement, ARPA-H has awarded up to $75.8 million to four research teams through its Ocular Laboratory for Analysis of Biomarkers (OCULAB) program, with the goal of developing a closed-loop tear-duct biosensor and drug delivery system capable of continuous, real-time disease monitoring and personalized treatment.¹ Pennsylvania State University (PSU) researcher Dipanjan Pan, PhD, FRSC, FAIMBE, FAHA, FACC, will serve as principal investigator for the Closed-Loop Sensing and Microdosing for Dry Eye and Systemic Disease Management (COSMIC) team, led by Lacristat, a California-based ophthalmology company, with a focus on dry eye, metabolic health, and women's health biomarkers.¹

The OCULAB initiative builds on prior advances in nanosensor technology, sustained-release ocular drug delivery, and AI-driven therapeutic algorithms to create what would be the first closed-loop system capable of administering treatment at the eye as a real-time response to changes in tear biomarkers.² COSMIC represents one of four funded teams alongside groups from Columbia University, MIT, and the University of Southern California.

"Our work within OCULAB is laying the foundation for a new class of autonomous, precision systems for eye and visual conditions, capable of both diagnosing and treating disease in a continuous, patient-specific manner," Pan said. "My lab's early pioneering works focused on detecting biomolecules in tears, and we are excited to apply our research to the development of a wearable sensing platform that can help manage ocular and systemic complications."¹

COSMIC biosensor platform

The COSMIC team is developing nanostructured electrodes to analyze tear biomolecules for signs of DED, metabolic dysfunction, and hormonal changes.¹ Pan's group at PSU will lead construction of a miniaturized biosensing platform intended for lacrimal duct insertion, using molecular elements to identify tear biomarkers associated with inflammation, infection, disease progression, and hormonal fluctuations.¹ The electrode system is designed to function in tandem with an integrated drug delivery module capable of supplying the appropriate therapeutic type and dosage in direct response to real-time shifts in tear chemistry.¹ “Electrochemical sensing lets us detect important biomarkers by measuring tiny electrical changes. We chose it because it is fast, sensitive, low-power, and can be built into very small devices for continuous monitoring,” Pan told Ophthalmology times.

Tears present a technically favorable medium for continuous biosensing: they are always present, non-invasively accessible, and contain many of the same biomarkers found in blood, including proteins, hormones, and inflammatory markers.² Unlike blood, which can clot on sensor surfaces, tears are clear and water-based, posing less risk of fouling delicate biosensor components.¹ A 2024 review of tear-based wearable biosensors identified tear biomarkers as viable indicators not only for DED but also for oncological, neurological, and metabolic conditions, supporting the broader monitoring ambitions of OCULAB.³ Pan's lab has prior experience detecting biomolecules in tears, and the COSMIC platform extends this foundational work toward autonomous, closed-loop therapeutic response.¹

“With OCULAB, we are completely rethinking how we monitor and treat disease—using the eye as both a sensor and a delivery system,” said ARPA-H Director Alicia Jackson in the ARPA-H press release.

Closed-loop delivery and systemic potential

The integrated drug delivery module embedded within the COSMIC system will receive data from the biosensor array and release targeted therapeutics directly into the periocular space, with the objective of optimizing dosing, minimizing systemic side effects, and avoiding off-target drug delivery.¹ AI algorithms will govern therapeutic decision-making within the closed-loop architecture, determining when and how to adjust treatment based on continuous biomarker fluctuation.²

OCULAB's initial clinical focus is DED, a prevalent chronic condition affecting predominantly women, with current in-office tear biomarker testing representing the standard of care for diagnosis.² With program maturation, ARPA-H intends to expand OCULAB's scope to include brain and whole-body conditions, with conditions such as diabetes, depression, and neurologic disease identified as candidate targets.¹ Pan's group will receive $1.3 million over two years for its biosensor development work within COSMIC; the University of Miami and the University of Illinois Chicago are also part of the COSMIC consortium.¹

"Bringing a technology like this to routine clinical use is typically measured in years, not months," Pan told Ophthalmology Times. "The ARPA-H program is helping accelerate development by addressing key technical and translational challenges early in the process."

If successful, OCULAB would represent the first platform to continuously read tear chemistry and administer real-time pharmacologic responses within a single lacrimal duct-resident device, shifting the treatment paradigm for DED and potentially for a broad range of systemic conditions beyond ophthalmology.²

REFERENCES:
1. Liu E. Materials lab in national program to develop wearable eye health system. Penn State News. Published June 8, 2026. Accessed June 15, 2026. https://www.psu.edu/news/engineering/story/materials-lab-national-program-develop-wearable-eye-health-system
2. Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health. ARPA-H program turns your eyes into smart health monitors. Published March 3, 2026. Accessed June 15, 2026. https://arpa-h.gov/news-and-events/arpa-h-program-turns-your-eyes-smart-health-monitors
3. Pankaj S, Raghuwanshi S, Dutt R, et al. Tear-based ocular wearable biosensors for human health monitoring. Biosensors. 2024;14(10):483. doi:10.3390/bios14100483