Accelerating Safe Clinical Evaluation of Novel Treatments: Ibogaine for Better Outcomes in Opioid Use Disorder (ASCENT-IBO)
ASCENT-IBO supports multidisciplinary teams conducting Phase 1 and 2 ibogaine trials to establish safety and effectiveness for high-risk opioid use disorder and prepare for Phase 3 testing.
This grant was recently updated
ASCENT-IBO now accepts submissions only from applicants who met previous deadline requirements; encouraged proposals are due by the assigned deadlines in Solution Summary feedback letters. New FAQs clarify eligibility, scope and budget requirements, and other application details also changed.
Funder: Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health
Due Dates: October 15, 2026 (Solution Summary) | December 26, 2026 (Full proposal)
Funding Amounts: No funding ceiling or prescribed range; budgets should reflect the proposed solution
Summary: Supports Phase 1 and 2 clinical trials evaluating ibogaine’s safety and effectiveness for high-risk opioid use disorder.
Key Information: A Solution Summary is mandatory; submissions are limited to applicants who met previous deadline requirements.
Description
ASCENT-IBO is an Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H) initiative to accelerate early-stage clinical evaluation of ibogaine for treatment-resistant opioid use disorder (OUD) or OUD with elevated mortality risk. It supports Phase 1 and 2 trials that prioritize patient safety and establish a path toward Phase 3 testing. The goal is to generate rigorous evidence about a treatment whose reported benefits for cravings and withdrawal have largely come from anecdotal accounts.
The initiative favors combined Phase 1/2 designs evaluating safety and efficacy in patients with OUD. Proposed work should address dosing, treatment setting, safety monitoring, risk mitigation, integration, and regulatory readiness. It also seeks multidisciplinary teams capable of clinical execution and eventual translation into broader treatment access.
