Aspira Receives $1.5 million Milestone Payment from the ARPA-H Sprint for Women’s Health Award
Rhea-AI Summary
Aspira Women's Health (NASDAQ:AWH) has successfully achieved the second milestone of its $10 million ARPA-H Sprint for Women's Health award, receiving a $1.5 million payment. The milestone focused on scaling up R&D capabilities for developing ENDOinform™, a non-invasive blood test for endometriosis detection.
The project involves developing an AI-enabled algorithm combining protein and microRNA biomarkers with patient data. The second milestone included plans for building a new molecular laboratory, securing patents and licenses, and conducting market research for test positioning.
The company expects to complete the third milestone in Q2 2025, which will trigger another $1.5 million payment upon delivery of a biomarker algorithm technical report and voice of customer study framework. The program will continue through early 2026, providing non-dilutive funding for Aspira's growth.
Positive
- Secured $1.5 million non-dilutive funding from ARPA-H milestone achievement
- On track for additional $1.5 million payment in Q2 2025
- Development of ENDOinform progressing according to schedule
- Expanding R&D capabilities with new molecular laboratory
Negative
- Significant investment required for patents, licenses, and laboratory build-out
- Commercial launch timeline dependent on milestone achievements
News Market Reaction
On the day this news was published, AWH declined 10.74%, reflecting a significant negative market reaction.
Data tracked by StockTitan Argus on the day of publication.
The Company Successfully Reaches the Second Milestone of ARPA-H
AUSTIN, TX / ACCESS Newswire / March 31, 2025 / Aspira Women's Health Inc. ("Aspira") (NASDAQ:AWH), a bio-analytical based women's health company focused on the development of gynecologic disease diagnostic tools, today announced the successful completion of the second development milestone of its Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H) award. As a result of satisfying the second development milestone, Aspira received a
ARPA-H's Sprint for Women's Health was created to address critical unmet challenges in women's health, champion transformative innovations, and tackle health conditions that uniquely or disproportionately affect women. As previously announced, Aspira won a
"Our entire team is proud to have met this key second milestone under the ARPA-H award program. This is a strong validation of the progress our team is making in developing a groundbreaking new diagnostic for endometriosis through our ENDOinformTM development project. Clearing this second milestone per the terms of the ARPA-H contract and receiving this second payment is a clear and tangible demonstration of the progress our technical team has made in advancing ENDOinform," stated Mike Buhle, CEO of Aspira Women's Health.
Mr. Buhle continued, "This is a vital component of our future development pipeline, and this
Aspira is expected to receive a total of
The second milestone encompassed scaling up of the Company's research and development capabilities to be able to execute on the goal of a non-invasive microRNA, protein, and patient metadata-based blood assay. Investment will start in acquiring necessary patents, licenses, and trademarks to ensure Aspira's freedom to operate in the U.S. market, the building of the new molecular laboratory, and market research into test positioning. Deliverables provided to ARPA-H to support the achievement of the milestone included detailed plans for the build-out of the molecular lab and market feedback on test positioning from payers, providers, and health systems.
The third milestone, which is focused on additional analytical development steps, is expected to be completed in the second quarter of 2025. The next milestone requires the completion of additional deliverables including a biomarker algorithm technical report, as well as the framework for a voice of customer study. Upon successful completion of the third milestone, Aspira will be entitled to receive an additional
About Aspira Women's Health Inc.
Aspira Women's Health Inc. is dedicated to the discovery, development, and commercialization of noninvasive, AI-powered tests to aid in the diagnosis of gynecologic diseases.
OvaWatch® and Ova1Plus® are offered to clinicians as OvaSuiteSM. Together, they provide the only comprehensive portfolio of blood tests to aid in the detection of ovarian cancer risk for the 1.2+ million American women diagnosed with an adnexal mass each year. OvaWatch provides a negative predictive value of
Our in-development test pipeline will expand our ovarian cancer portfolio and address the tremendous need for non-invasive diagnostics for endometriosis, a debilitating disease that impacts millions of women worldwide. In ovarian cancer, we intend to combine microRNA and protein biomarkers with patient data to further enhance the sensitivity and specificity of our current tests. In endometriosis, we have developed the first-ever non-invasive test designed to identify endometriomas, one of the most commonly occurring forms of severe endometriosis. Through our ongoing endometriosis development program, we are combining microRNA and protein biomarkers with patient data, with the intent of identifying all endometriosis independent of disease location or severity.
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements, as defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements involve a number of risks and uncertainties. Such forward-looking statements include statements regarding, among other things, the timing and completion of any products in the development pipeline and other statements that are predictive in nature, and whether the marketing of the OvaSuite portfolio will prove successful. Actual results could differ materially from those discussed due to known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors. These forward-looking statements generally can be identified by the use of words such as "designed to," "expect," "plan," "anticipate," "could," "may," "intend," "will," "continue," "future," and other words of similar meaning and the use of future dates. These and additional risks and uncertainties are described more fully in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), including those factors identified as "Risk Factors" in our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2024, and subsequent Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q. If any of these risks materialize or our assumptions prove incorrect, actual results could differ materially from the results implied by these forward-looking statements. There may be additional risks that Aspira presently does not know, or that Aspira currently believes are immaterial, that could also cause actual results to differ from those contained in the forward-looking statements. In addition, forward-looking statements reflect Aspira's expectations, plans, or forecasts of future events and views as of the date of this press release. Subsequent events and developments may cause the Company's assessments to change. However, while Aspira may elect to update these forward-looking statements at some point in the future, Aspira expressly disclaims any obligation to do so, except as required by law. These forward-looking statements should not be relied upon as representing Aspira's assessments of any date after the date of this press release. Accordingly, undue reliance should not be placed upon the forward-looking statements.
Investor Relations Contact:
investors@aspirawh.com
SOURCE: Aspira Women's Health
View the original press release on ACCESS Newswire
FAQ
What is the total value of Aspira's (AWH) ARPA-H award and when will it conclude?
How much did Aspira (AWH) receive for completing the second ARPA-H milestone?
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What is Aspira's (AWH) ENDOinform project developing?
