Funded Projects

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:

The proposed SBIR Phase II program seeks to select a first-in-class, peripherally-restricted, and long-acting somatostatin receptor 4 (LA-SSTR4) agonist clinical candidate for development as a novel non-addictive analgesic able to replace opioids for the treatment of moderate-to-severe chronic pain. The program is based on strong scientific evidence showing that activation of peripheral SSTR4 produces broad spectrum analgesic activity and pursues a unique therapeutic strategy.   Unlike opioids, SSTR4 agonists do not induce constipation, respiratory depression, dependence, addiction, or abuse. Finally, unlike SSTR2 and SSTR5, SSTR4 expression in the pituitary and pancreas is very low, supporting that selective SSTR4 agonists are unlikely to perturb peripheral endocrine functions. The preceding SBIR Phase I program has already established the feasibility of conjugating a short-acting, potent, and selective peptide SSTR4 agonist to the antibody carrier. The resulting LA-SSTR4 agonist lead series has high agonist potency and selectivity for SSTR4 and has demonstrated antinociceptive activity in an animal pain model. The proposed SBIR Phase II program seeks to: optimize the existing lead series and select a clinical candidate for development,  validate and prioritize the indication(s) for clinical development using disease-relevant mouse pain models, and characterize the pharmacokinetics and safety/toxicology profile of the clinical candidate in rat and non-human primates to help design subsequent investigational new drug (IND)-enabling studies.

NOFO Title: Administrative Supplements to Existing NIH Grants and Cooperative Agreements (Parent Admin Supp Clinical Trial Optional)
NOFO Number: PA-18-591
Summary:

People who use opioids in rural areas suffer worse health and less insurance coverage. The opioid problem in rural areas is of particular concern, as rural areas have higher overdose rates despite equivalent rates of OUD. This is because rural areas have a scant number of clinics and clinicians who provide medication treatment for OUD. Thus, people living in rural areas must travel long distances to access clinics that may or may not have expertise in providing treatment to patients with OUD. Telemedicine (TM) could efficiently increase capacity for delivery of buprenorphine in rural areas and may increase the number of patients receiving medication treatment and improve treatment retention and outcomes. While the development of medication treatments for opioid use disorder (MOUD) capacity in primary care settings with optimal/comprehensive services is desirable, the current opioid crisis with escalating overdose death rates in rural areas suggests a need to implement an efficient, cost-effective system of MOUD services that can be scaled up quickly. The use of a centralized and Medicare-covered TM vendor utilizing a developed methodology and established organizational infrastructure offers the great potential for a rapid rollout to increase access to MOUD and improve treatment retention in rural areas. This cluster randomized clinical trial with two phases will test expanded treatment access to improve retention on MOUD in highly affected rural areas. Phase I will include implementing telemedicine in a limited number of rural sites with varying levels of office-based opioid treatment (OBOT) to inform implementation strategies for the main trial, and Phase II will include evaluate comparative effectiveness between OBOT alone and OBOT + TM at 30 sites.

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.