SBIR Phase I: Electronic Pills for Medication Compliance

This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project will evaluate the use of electronic pills for medication compliance monitoring. Medication compliance monitoring is critical in (among other areas) pharmaceutical clinical trials, geriatrics, and mental health/addiction medicine. This Phase I project will study the application of in vivo monitoring electronics to medication compliance. Three types of technologies will be studied, prototyped, and evaluated for medication compliance monitoring. In addition, the team will rigorously study the communication channel (the human torso) for this and many future potential monitoring techniques. The goal of the project is to design and prototype electronic pill technology either into a medication capsule or as a coating on an existing capsule or pill. A handheld RF communication device will sense the presence of the pill in the GI tract and positively confirm that the medication regimen was followed appropriately. This electronic pill technology and R&D will help expand the rapidly growing field of in vivo telemetry. The study of the transmission characteristics and minimal requirements for sensing through the human torso is an important step to designing and building wireless, low power, in vivo devices for biotelemetry. Additionally, the field of medication compliance is tremendously important in many areas of medicine. In particular, better compliance monitoring can greatly reduce the costs associated with FDA approval of pharmaceuticals as well as provide dramatically improved data for accurate determination of low probability side effects.