Funded Projects

Explore our currently funded projects. You may search with all three fields, then focus your results by applying any of the dropdown filters. After customizing your search, you may download results and even save your specific search for later.

Project # Project Title Research Focus Area Research Program Administering IC Sort ascending Institution(s) Investigator(s) Location(s) Year Awarded
2R44DA053078-02
Developing and Testing the Opioid Rapid Response System Cross-Cutting Research Small Business Programs NIDA REAL PREVENTION, LLC HECHT, MICHAEL (contact); CHOI, HYE JEONG Clifton, NJ 2023
NOFO Title: PHS 2022-2 Omnibus Solicitation of the NIH and CDC for Small Business Innovation Research Grant Applications (Parent SBIR [R43/R44] Clinical Trial Required)
NOFO Number: PA-22-177
Summary:

Reversing an opioid overdose requires a rapid response not available through standard emergency procedures. The Opioid Rapid Response System recruits and trains citizen responders to reverse overdoses with naloxone. It uses widely disseminated smart phone apps linking responders to an overdose through the 911 system. This project will complete the development of this system, test how well it works to reverse an opioid overdose, and prepare to share it widely. 

2R44DA041912-03
COMPLETION OF IND-PACKAGE FOR A NOVEL, NON-NARCOTIC PAINKILLER Cross-Cutting Research Small Business Programs NIDA Blue Therapeutics, Inc. Yekkirala, Ajay S CAMBRIDGE, MA 2019
NOFO Title: PHS 2017-02 Omnibus Solicitation of the NIH, CDC, and FDA for Small Business Innovation Research Grant Applications (Parent SBIR [R43/R44])
NOFO Number: PA-17-302
Summary:

Opioids like morphine and hydrocodone are generally the most effective therapeutics for treatment of moderate to severe pain. However, their use is limited by serious side effects: tolerance, constipation, respiratory depression, physical dependence, and high addictive potential. Alternative pain relievers with the analgesic potency of conventional opioids, but devoid of narcotic side effects, are an immediate need. The goal of this project is to develop and commercialize an alternative to conventional opioid analgesics with reduced side effects and without the addictive properties common to mu-opioid agonists, targeting a new molecule in the central nervous system. This project will perform the necessary preliminary studies to prepare this new molecule for an investigational new drug application with the FDA.

2R44DA043325-02
SENSITIVE AND PORTABLE PHYSICIAN OFFICE-BASED URINE ANALYZER TO TACKLE PRESCRIPTION DRUG ABUSE Cross-Cutting Research Small Business Programs NIDA BreviTest Technologies, LLC Heffernan, Michael John HOUSTON, TX 2019
NOFO Title: PHS 2018-02 Omnibus Solicitation of the NIH, CDC, and FDA for Small Business Innovation Research Grant Applications (Parent SBIR [R43/R44] Clinical Trial Not Allowed)
NOFO Number: PA-18-574
Summary:

Current drug-screening immunoassays use benchtop analyzers that require experienced personnel, time, and a laboratory setup. Physicians without access to in-house testing have to send out patient samples for screening, resulting in unacceptable delays in the treatment of patients who are potentially suffering from chronic pain. This project, a partnership with BreviTest Technologies, LLC, aims to develop a low-cost, point-of-care (POC) urine drug testing (UDT) device to detect opioids. The goal is for a portable platform to deliver quantitative performance similar to a standard laboratory test for opioids within a 10-minute run time. If successful, this will provide a technology capable of performing rapid quantifications of urine drug levels in a physician’s office, providing an invaluable tool to render more effective pain management dosing to patients, thus paving the way toward lower toxicity and a better quality of life.

2R44DA050397-02
Development of cannabinoid-opioid combination with opioid sparing and synergistic analgesic effects to prevent opioid use disorder and overdose Cross-Cutting Research Small Business Programs NIDA BDH PHARMA, LLC BRIONES, MARISA Valley Village, CA 2021
NOFO Title: HEAL Initiative: America’s Startups and Small Businesses Build Technologies to Stop the Opioid Crisis (R43/R44 - Clinical Trial Optional
NOFO Number: RFA-DA-19-019
1R43DA049617-01
At-Home Virtual Reality Guided Imagery Intervention for Chronic Pain Cross-Cutting Research Small Business Programs NIDA LIMBIX HEALTH, INC. LEWIS, BENJAMIN (contact); RICHEIMER, STEVEN H Palo Alto, CA 2019
NOFO Title: HEAL Initiative: America’s Startups and Small Businesses Build Technologies to Stop the Opioid Crisis (R43/R44 - Clinical Trial Optional)
NOFO Number: RFA-DA-19-019
Summary:

Chronic pain affects more than 100 million adults in the United States, resulting in disability, loss of work productivity, and overall reductions in health, making chronic pain a major public health problem with an economic burden estimated at $560–635 billion annually. Opioids, the most frequently prescribed class of drugs to control pain, lack evidence supporting their long-term efficacy and carry a 15% to 26% risk of misuse and abuse among pain patients. Guided imagery (GI) is an effective non-pharmacological intervention for reducing pain, but its effectiveness is limited by patients’ imaging abilities. This project will develop and assess the feasibility of an at-home virtual reality system, Limbix VR Kit, to reduce chronic pain and opioid reliance, as well as improve other functional outcomes, by delivering an immersive GI experience.

2R44DA048689-02
Beacon-OUD: Behavioral Economic Screening Tool of Opioid Use Disorder (OUD) for Use in Clinical Practice Cross-Cutting Research Small Business Programs NIDA BEAM DIAGNOSTICS, INC. SNIDER, SARAH EMILY Roanoke, VA 2023
NOFO Title: PHS 2021-2 Omnibus Solicitation of the NIH, CDC and FDA for Small Business Innovation Research Grant Applications (Parent SBIR [R43/R44] Clinical Trial Not Allowed)
NOFO Number: PA-21-259
Summary:

Current clinical screening measures for opioid misuse are underused and susceptible to bias. This project will develop Beacon-OUD, a digital opioid misuse assessment. The tool generates an automated, standardized score, preventing potential judgements related to patient’s status and circumstances, limiting stigma. The research will further advance Beacon-OUD into a commercial product for use both as a stand-alone tool and as an electronic health record-integrated solution to encourage objective opioid misuse screening in large health care systems. 

1R43DA050349-01
A Novel Chemokine Receptor Antagonist to Block Opioid Reinforcement, Relapse and Physical Dependence Cross-Cutting Research Small Business Programs NIDA CREATIVE BIO-PEPTIDES, INC. RUFF, MICHAEL Potomac, MD 2019
NOFO Title: HEAL Initiative: America’s Startups and Small Businesses Build Technologies to Stop the Opioid Crisis (R43/R44 - Clinical Trial Optional)
NOFO Number: RFA-DA-19-019
Summary:

Current agonist treatments for opioid use disorder (OUD) are not adequate to address the opioid crisis and have abuse liability concerns. Chemokines (hormones of the immune system that mediate innate immune inflammation) enhance pain, reduce opioid analgesia, and promote drug-seeking behavior and addiction—giving them a central role at the crossroads of chronic pain and the opioid crisis. So blocking chemokines (rather than opioid receptors) provides an exciting and untested treatment opportunity for pain and OUD. This proposal will assess, in animal self-administration models that mimic human drug-taking, whether a chemokine antagonist peptide R103 reduces morphine intake, as well as if R103 will prevent or blunt naloxone-precipitated withdrawal signs in morphine-dependent rats and stop relapse.

1R44DA049631-01
Addressing Opioid Use Disorder with an External Multimodal Neuromodulation Device: Development and Clinical Evaluation of DuoTherm for Opioid-Sparing in Acute and Chronic Low Back Pain. Cross-Cutting Research Small Business Programs NIDA MMJ LABS, LLC BAXTER, AMY LYNN Atlanta, GA 2019
NOFO Title: HEAL Initiative: America’s Startups and Small Businesses Build Technologies to Stop the Opioid Crisis (R43/R44 - Clinical Trial Optional)
NOFO Number: RFA-DA-19-019
Summary:

Acute and chronic low back pain are among the most common sources of short- and long-term disability. Fear of pain and disability, or “catastrophizing,” increases opioid use, but is reduced when patients have effective options and feel control over pain. The goal of this project is to develop an opioid-sparing therapeutic consumer device for low back pain, with multiple patient-controlled effective neuromodulatory pain relief options, including vibration, pressure, cold, and heat. After proving that providing a multimodal device is effective for pain, the project will determine whether the availability of an effective home therapy device reduces opioid use for patients with acute and chronic low back pain.

1R43DA049620-01
NeoGUARD: An easy-to-use, low-cost brain monitor for objective screening and treatment of opioid-exposed infants Cross-Cutting Research Small Business Programs NIDA NEUROWAVE SYSTEMS, INC. Zikov, Tatjana None Cleveland Hights, OH 2019
NOFO Title: HEAL Initiative: America’s Startups and Small Businesses Build Technologies to Stop the Opioid Crisis (R43/R44 - Clinical Trial Optional)
NOFO Number: RFA-DA-19-019
Summary:

Neonatal Opioid Withdrawal Syndrome (NOWS) affects a growing number of neonates each year due to the ongoing opioid epidemic ravaging the United States. Complex neurobehavioral observation of newborns is the primary modality used. It is subjective and time-consuming by nature, requires significant expertise, and can lead to delays in treatment. The goal of this project is to develop an innovative, low-cost, non-invasive, and easy-to-use brain monitor to objectively assess the severity of withdrawal symptoms in newborns exposed to opioids and provide evidence-based decision support to care providers to improve both short- and long-term developmental outcomes. This device, referred to as NeoGUARD, is based on the continuous, automated, and real-time monitoring of brain function to detect EEG abnormalities shown to be related to NOWS and determine severity to guide pharmacological intervention. This study will focus on the initial prototyping and refinement of the hardware and software, as well as initial evaluations of its use.

R41DA055405-01
Virtual Reality Facilitation of Recovery from Opioid Use Disorder Cross-Cutting Research Small Business Programs NIDA Relate XR LLC OBERLIN, BRANDON G (contact); NELSON, ANDREW Indianapolis, IN 2022
NOFO Title: HEAL Initiative: America’s Startups and Small Businesses Build Technologies to Stop the Opioid Crisis (R43/R44 - Clinical Trial Optional)
NOFO Number: RFA-DA-19-020
Summary:

Relapse is common in people with opioid use disorder, and recovery attempts often fail within 6 months. This research project will test a novel virtual reality intervention to improve recovery outcomes for people recovering from opioid use disorder. By increasing future orientation and delay-of-reward behavior with a precision medicine personalized experience, the intervention is designed to enhance advantageous decision-making and increase positive future outcomes. The results of this study will provide critical data for creating a commercially viable software product for facilitating relapse prevention and improving opioid use disorder recovery outcomes.

R41DA056239-01
Leptin Receptor Agonist as a Novel Prevention of Opioid Induced Respiratory Depression Cross-Cutting Research Small Business Programs NIDA Arrevus, Inc. KRAUS, CARL NEIL (contact); POLOTSKY, VSEVOLOD Y Raleigh, NC 2022
NOFO Title: HEAL Initiative: America’s Startups and Small Businesses Build Technologies to Stop the Opioid Crisis (R43/R44 - Clinical Trial Optional)
NOFO Number: RFA-DA-19-020
Summary:

The primary cause of death associated with opioids is opioid-induced respiratory depression, and there is currently no way to prevent this condition. The goal of this research is to develop a therapy to prevent opioid-induced respiratory depression without disrupting opioids’ analgesic effects. Previous research has shown that the hormone leptin, which suppresses appetite and increases metabolic rate, also stimulates breathing. This research project in a mouse model will test if the novel, brain-penetrant leptin receptor-binding protein E1/Aca can prevent fentanyl-induced breathing failure without diminishing fentanyl’s analgesic effects.

2R44DA050393-02
Evaluation of the Therapeutic Potential of Exclusive Antagonists of Extrasynaptic NMDA Receptors for the Treatment of Opioid Use Disorder Cross-Cutting Research Small Business Programs NIDA NEURANO BIOSCIENCE MOLOKANOVA, ELENA La Jolla, CA 2023
NOFO Title: Advancing Validated Drug Targets for Substance Use Disorders (R43/R44 - Clinical Trial Not Allowed)
NOFO Number: RFA-DA-22-023
Summary:

New and safe therapeutic targets for treating opioid use disorder are needed. One promising approach is to test drugs currently approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration that work independently of the body’s opioid system. The medication memantine targets N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptors in the brain, which have been implicated in the development and maintenance of addiction. This project will study a miniature version of multiple memantine molecules bound together that attaches only to NMDA receptors that are not within nerve connections. The research will evaluate the safety, misuse potential, and effectiveness of this molecular assembly in preclinical models. 

1R43DA050358-01
A Project to Test The Efficacy And Safety Of An Innovative Treatment Of Opiate Use Disorders Cross-Cutting Research Small Business Programs NIDA MINDLIGHT, LLC SCHIFFER, FREDRIC (contact); TEICHER, MARTIN H Newton, MA 2019
NOFO Title: HEAL Initiative: America’s Startups and Small Businesses Build Technologies to Stop the Opioid Crisis (R43/R44 - Clinical Trial Optional)
NOFO Number: RFA-DA-19-019
Summary:

This project aims to demonstrate the safety and effectiveness of a novel treatment for opiate addiction using a technique called photobiomodulation, application of light to the forehead. The treatment consists of using a 4-minute application of transcranial photobiomodulation, near-infrared mode, through a supra-luminous LED, to one side of the forehead over the brain hemisphere that has been determined to have a more positive emotional valence. The study will examine differences in opioid cravings, anxiety, depression, and opioid use between participants receiving the treatment and those receiving a sham treatment. We will evaluate patients weekly for safety and efficacy for 3 weeks post-treatment. In Aim II, a highly-regarded product engineer will work with the company to design a marketable product that may have patentable elements.

1R43DA049684-01
Non-intrusive detection of temporary neurologic impairment by opioids Cross-Cutting Research Small Business Programs NIDA ZXEREX CORPORATION BESSERMAN, RICHARD Scottsdale, AZ 2019
NOFO Title: PHS 2018-02 Omnibus Solicitation of the NIH for Small Business Innovation Research Grant Applications (Parent SBIR [R43/R44] Clinical Trial Required)
NOFO Number: PA-18-573
Summary:

With the exception of the Breathalyzer for alcohol, there is currently no available technology that can immediately identify neurologic impairment related to the use of licit or illicit drugs. The presently available methods for detecting opioids—which rely upon analysis of urine, blood, saliva, or hair—are expensive, time-consuming to implement, and can take days to deliver actionable information to meet the “fitness-for-duty” concerns of employers as well as the needs for immediate detection of drug use in the drug rehabilitation and public safety fields. This project intends to develop a non-invasive means of identifying temporary neurological impairment from prescription opioids using analysis of involuntary eye movements. The resultant biometric signature of opioid impairment will be incorporated into Zverex’s existing product library of oculomotor biosignatures, such as marijuana impairment and fatigue.

1R43DA049623-01
Non-invasive Neuromodulation Device for Decreasing Withdrawal Symptoms and Craving during Treatment of Opioid Use Disorder Cross-Cutting Research Small Business Programs NIDA THERANOVA, LLC JAASMA, MICHAEL San Francisco, CA 2019
NOFO Title: HEAL Initiative: America’s Startups and Small Businesses Build Technologies to Stop the Opioid Crisis (R43/R44 - Clinical Trial Optional)
NOFO Number: RFA-DA-19-019
Summary:

Opioid use disorder (OUD) can be lethal, with opioid overdose causing more than 115 deaths in the U.S. each day. Although medications are effective at reducing illicit opioid use and overdose deaths, it is well-established that withdrawal and craving are highest in the initial weeks, making this a high-risk period for treatment dropout, relapse, and overdose. Adjunct therapies that can reduce early opioid withdrawal and craving may improve retention in treatment with buprenorphine-naloxone, and recent research has shown that stimulation of a peripheral nerve significantly modulates withdrawal- and craving-related responses for opioids and other drugs. This project will test the effectiveness of the EMPOWER Neuromodulation System, a portable, non-invasive transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) device developed by TheraNova for the treatment of OUD.

1R44DA047866-01
NEONATAL OPIOID SCREENING USING APTAMERS AND COMPENSATED INTERFEROMETRY Cross-Cutting Research Small Business Programs NIDA Base Pair Biotechnologies, Inc. Jackson, George W PEARLAND, TX 2019
NOFO Title: PHS 2018-02 Omnibus Solicitation of the NIH, CDC, and FDA for Small Business Innovation Research Grant Applications (Parent SBIR [R43/R44] Clinical Trial Not Allowed)
NOFO Number: PA-18-574
Summary:

Newborn Abstinence Syndrome, which results from maternal opioid drug use prior to birth, is a serious condition that affects approximately 6% of all neonates born today in the U.S. and which is increasing rapidly in incidence because of this epidemic. Availability of a rapid screening test that can be administered at the point of care to all neonates would allow for early intervention, reducing costs of treatment and reducing pain and suffering for this vulnerable and helpless patient population. Providing a platform to accurately monitor actual levels of these drugs and their metabolites in such patients would allow better-controlled use of these pain management treatments, personalized to the needs of the individual neonate, and would reduce the probability of addiction and resulting complications, which include deleterious neurological effects. The purpose of this FastTrack SBIR project is to expand upon preliminary results that a device can sensitively and accurately detect opioids and their primary urinary metabolites in one-microliter urine samples, in less than a minute after sample introduction into the device, and adapt the device into a point-of-care instrument for use in hospitals, clinics, and other venues in which such tests are likely to be deployed.

R44DA056280-01
Reducing Opioid Use and Adverse Effects through Proactive Precision Pain Management Following Spine Surgery Cross-Cutting Research Small Business Programs NIDA Opalgenix, Inc. PLUMP, STEVEN R (contact); SADHASIVAM, SENTHILKUMAR Carmel, IN 2022
NOFO Title: HEAL Initiative: America’s Startups and Small Businesses Build Technologies to Stop the Opioid Crisis (R43/R44 - Clinical Trial Optional)
NOFO Number: RFA-DA-19-019
Summary:

Lumbar spinal surgery, an increasingly common surgery in adults with severe chronic back pain, is associated with acute post-surgical pain, costly postoperative opioid-related adverse effects, long hospital stays, high-risk for chronic post-surgical back pain, and persistent opioid use and dependence. Each individual responds differently to opioids based on their unique genetic and clinical factors, and the current trial-and-error approach to opioid use and prescribing promotes excessive opioid use, costly adverse outcomes, and poor surgical pain management. To address this issue, this research project will develop a preoperative diagnostic test that will use genetic and clinical information to proactively assess each person’s risk for opioid-related adverse events and chronic post-operative pain. The results will help clinicians provide personalized pain management to maximize pain relief while minimizing opioid-related safety risks, including opioid dependence.

1R44DA049630-01
Opioid-Sparing pain management for Chronic Low Back Pain patients using TMC-CP01 - A VANISH (Virtual Autonomic Neuromodulation Induced Systemic Healing) based program Cross-Cutting Research Small Business Programs NIDA TAMADÉ, LLC TIEN, CELINE (contact); LUCAS, GALE ; MAHAJAN, AMAN Pasadena, CA 2019
NOFO Title: HEAL Initiative: America’s Startups and Small Businesses Build Technologies to Stop the Opioid Crisis (R43/R44 - Clinical Trial Optional)
NOFO Number: RFA-DA-19-019
Summary:

Opioids have been found to be ineffective for chronic lower back pain (CLBP), yet they are still commonly prescribed. TAMADÉ, LLC aims to leverage a novel and validated technology based on virtual reality (VR) to provide therapy to CLBP patients on a daily opioid dosage with an opioid-sparing pain management tool aiming to increase pain management efficacy and decrease health complications. The intervention uses VR to stimulate patients’ visual, auditory, and haptic fields in order to simultaneously distract and actively engage patients in biofeedback therapy, where patients consciously self-regulate their nervous system by paring down their sympathetic tone through exercises in controlling respiration and heart rate. The study will compare patients receiving the proposed VR-based intervention with a group receiving either just opioids or opioids with sham VR. All groups will receive the same opioid tapering guidelines.

1R44DA058531-01
BoostPrime, A Novel Digital Therapeutic for Craving Mitigation in Opioid Use Disorder Cross-Cutting Research Small Business Programs NIDA NXTECH, INC. PATEL, SALIL Patchogue, NY 2023
NOFO Title: Developing Regulated Therapeutic and Diagnostic Solutions for Patients Affected by Opioid and/or Stimulants use Disorders (OUD/StUD) (R43/R44 - Clinical Trial Optional)
NOFO Number: RFA-DA-23-021
Summary:

Cravings and impulsivity are key contributors that lead people to return to opioid misuse, but are not addressed by currently available treatments and tools. This project will develop and validate BoostPrime, a customized digital therapeutic software tool that delivers novel cognitive training exercises. The tool aims to help address cravings and strengthen momentary self-control for people with opioid use disorder by incorporating.

3R44DA044053-02S1
DEVELOPMENT AND EVALUATION OF VIDEO-BASED DIRECTLY OBSERVED THERAPY FOR OFFICE-BASED TREATMENT OF OPIOID USE DISORDERS WITH BUPRENORPHINE Cross-Cutting Research Small Business Programs NIDA emocha Mobile Health, Inc. Seiguer, Sebastian Owings Mills, MD 2019
NOFO Title: PHS 2016-02 Omnibus Solicitation of the NIH, CDC, FDA, and ACF for Small Business Innovation Research Grant Applications (Parent SBIR [R43/R44])
NOFO Number: PA-16-302
Summary:

Since 2002, persons with opioid use disorders who desire medication-assisted treatment can be treated with buprenorphine, which has been shown to be efficacious. Buprenorphine treatment can occur in any medical office-based setting, is prescribed by any physician who seeks to become waivered, and is taken by patients at home unsupervised. However, without visual confirmation of medication ingestion, providers remain unsure if patients divert part or all of their buprenorphine medication. This project will develop the technical and logistical workflow needed to implement a video-­based application, miDOT, for office-­based buprenorphine monitoring during the initial months of care, which will allow health care providers to monitor whether patients ingest the drug and adhere to treatment. The project will configure a video-based DOT platform, evaluate its effectiveness in securing medication ingestion and care retention for illicit opiate users, and solidify routes of sustainable commercial viability with commercial partners.

1R42DA049448-01
Reward-based technology to improve opioid use disorder treatment initiation after an ED visit Cross-Cutting Research Small Business Programs NIDA Q2I, LLC BOUDREAUX, EDWIN D Rindge, NH 2019
NOFO Title: Loyalty and Reward-Based Technologies to Increase Adherence to Substance Use Disorder Pharmacotherapies (R41/R42 - Clinical Trial Optional)
NOFO Number: RFA-DA-19-015
Summary:

Medication-assisted treatment (MAT) for opioid use disorder (OUD) is highly efficacious, but only a fraction of people with OUD access MAT, and treatment non-adherence is common and associated with poor outcomes. This project aims to increase rates of Suboxone (buprenorphine/naloxone) treatment initiation and adherence among OUD patients recruited from emergency and inpatient acute care by enhancing the Opioid Addiction Recovery Support (OARS)—an existing Q2i company technology—with a new evidence-based reward, contingency management (CM) function that allows for the automatic calculation, delivery, and redemption of rewards contingent on objective evidence of Suboxone initiation and adherence.

R44DA053845-01A1
Fast-track: Scalable Digital Delivery of Evidence-Based Training for Addiction Professionals to Maximize Treatment Admission and Retention Rates of Opioid Use Disorder in Affected Families Cross-Cutting Research Small Business Programs NIDA Public Health Management Corporation; We the Village, Inc MACKY, JANE Philadelphia, PA; New York, NY 2022
NOFO Title: HEAL Initiative: America’s Startups and Small Businesses Build Technologies to Stop the Opioid Crisis (R43/R44 - Clinical Trial Optional)
NOFO Number: RFA-DA-19-019
Summary:

Effective medication-based treatment could prevent overdose deaths and help individuals recover from opioid use disorder, but only a fraction of those in need access treatment or receive a medication approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. One way to improve people’s choice to seek and stay in treatment is to improve training for addiction treatment counselors beyond current methods that rely on brief online or in-person workshops. The goal of this research project is to develop and evaluate the technical feasibility and commercial viability of a scalable digital program to train behavioral addiction professionals in Community Reinforcement and Family Training (CRAFT), an evidence-based approach to increase treatment entry, using ongoing counselor training with feedback and coaching.

1R43DA046974-01
IMPACT-Instrument to Measure Pain and Assess Correlation to Treatment. Create a smartphone pupillometry to objectively determine the presence of acute pain, evaluate opioid as the treatment for pain. Cross-Cutting Research Small Business Programs NIDA BENTEN TECHNOLOGIES, INC MA, TONY XUYEN Manassa, VA 2019
NOFO Title: Development of a Device to Objectively Measure Pain (R43/R44)
NOFO Number: RFA-DA-18-012
Summary:

While patient self-report of pain is the gold standard of pain measurement, this may not be feasible in critically ill patients who are sedated and intubated, unconscious, or unable to verbally communicate. Pupillary dilation (PD) is a reliable indicator of acute pain, and measurement of pupil size changes may be useful in determining the intensity of pain experienced as well as the efficacy of an analgesia. Research also demonstrates that pupillary unrest under ambient light (PUAL) is an objective marker of sensitivity to opioids, and facial expression analysis can help detect pain. Benten Technologies, Inc. aims to develop and validate IMPACT, a device that uses pupillometry with a proprietary algorithm to measure both PD and PUAL and conduct facial expression analysis using computer vision. The project team will then demonstrate the feasibility of IMPACT in helping clinicians objectively determine pain and assess opioid efficacy and compare results obtained to pain scores reported by patients.

1R44DA058474-01
Development of the OpiAID Strength Band Platform Cross-Cutting Research Small Business Programs NIDA OPIAID, INC. REESER, DAVID (contact); MACQUEEN, DAVID ALDERSON; WASHINGTON, WENDY DONLIN Wilmington, NC 2023
NOFO Title: Developing Regulated Therapeutic and Diagnostic Solutions for Patients Affected by Opioid and/or Stimulants use Disorders (OUD/StUD) (R43/R44 - Clinical Trial Optional)
NOFO Number: RFA-DA-23-021
Summary:

Although medications for opioid use disorder are effective and available, providers currently lack methods to monitor patients and thus inform improved dosing. This project will develop Strength Band Platform, an innovative artificial intelligence-based digital platform. The wearable device will collect patient physiological characteristics to detect relapse and withdrawal during treatment with medications for opioid use disorder in real-world settings. 

3R44DA044053-03S1
DEVELOPMENT AND EVALUATION OF VIDEO-BASED DIRECTLY OBSERVED THERAPY FOR OFFICE-BASED TREATMENT OF OPIOID USE DISORDERS WITH BUPRENORPHINE Cross-Cutting Research Small Business Programs NIDA emocha Mobile Health, Inc. Seiguer, Sebastian Owings Mills, MD 2019
NOFO Title: PHS 2016-02 Omnibus Solicitation of the NIH, CDC, FDA, and ACF for Small Business Innovation Research Grant Applications (Parent SBIR [R43/R44])
NOFO Number: PA-16-302
Summary:

Since 2002, persons with opioid use disorders who desire medication-assisted treatment can be treated with buprenorphine, which has been shown to be efficacious. Buprenorphine treatment can occur in any medical office-based setting, is prescribed by any physician who seeks to become waivered, and is taken by patients at home unsupervised. However, without visual confirmation of medication ingestion, providers remain unsure if patients divert part or all of their buprenorphine medication. This project will develop the technical and logistical workflow needed to implement a video-­based application, miDOT, for office-­based buprenorphine monitoring during the initial months of care, which will allow health care providers to monitor whether patients ingest the drug and adhere to treatment. The project will configure a video-based DOT platform, evaluate its effectiveness in securing medication ingestion and care retention for illicit opiate users, and solidify routes of sustainable commercial viability with commercial partners.