Protein ENGineering (PENG)

Solicitation ID: DARPA-PS-26-129

Agency: DARPA/DSO

Eligibility Reasoning

For this solicitation, DARPA will not establish new contractual agreements for the participation of FFRDCs... DARPA, under this solicitation, will not award separate contracts to FFRDCs as prime or subawardees but will instead leverage their existing sponsors' agreements... Proposals that include a... FFRDC... as a subcontractor may also be deemed non-conforming unless... cost proposals must exclude their funding, as DARPA will not fund them through the prime.

Note: This is an AI-generated summary...

Summary

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) Protein ENGineering (PENG) program aims to create a universal, target-agnostic platform for the precise, programmable editing of endogenous proteins. The goal is to move beyond permanent genomic modifications (like CRISPR) to achieve transient, tunable, and reversible control directly at the protein level. The 42-month, multi-phase program requires performers to integrate three core technologies: 1) AI-driven Programmable Targeting to bind virtually any protein, 2) Generalizable Chemistry (e.g., engineered inteins, co-translational editing) for universal modification, and 3) Multiplexing Capability for simultaneous, non-interfering edits. The program will progress from foundational validation in cell culture (Phase 1A), to a capability demonstration on DARPA-selected targets (Phase 1B), and finally to integration and validation in complex systems like organoids (Phase 2). The ultimate deliverable is a prototype platform that can execute on-demand, multi-site functional edits on proteins in complex biological models, meeting specific metrics for efficiency, reusability, and complexity. The solicitation explicitly excludes approaches based on permanent genomic editing, traditional pharmacology, and in silico modeling without experimental validation.

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Potential LBNL PIs (Overall)

Note on PI Matching: These suggestions are generated through an AI-driven semantic analysis of LBNL staff profiles.

Fundamental Research Exemption (FRE)

As of the date of publication of this solicitation, the Government expects that program goals as described herein may be met by proposed efforts for fundamental research and non-fundamental research. Some proposed research may present a high likelihood of disclosing performance characteristics of military systems or manufacturing technologies that are unique and critical to defense. Based on the anticipated type of proposer (e.g., university or industry) and the nature of the solicited work, the Government expects that some awards will include restrictions on the resultant research that will require the awardee to seek DARPA permission before publishing any information or results relative to the program.