SBIR Phase II: Modernizing the diagnosis, monitoring, and treating of substance use disorders via an integrated technology platform

The broader impact/commercial potential of this Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II project will transform how alcohol use disorders (AUDs) are diagnosed, monitored, and treated by the further development of a micro-biosensor system for health care providers. An implantable micro-biosensor that reliably detects, monitors, and tracks alcohol consumption allows for more accurate diagnosis so the appropriate treatment solution can be prescribed and tracked. Our system integrates an implantable micro-biosensor with smartphone technology to continuously detect and monitor, collect, transmit, store, and analyze relevant biodata, pushing resulting behavior change instructions to the user. This creates a revolutionary approach to the diagnosis and treatment of alcohol use disorders by reporting outcome data more accurately and reliably than current, self-reporting methods. Our system potentially yields multiple societal benefits, including lower treatment costs and increased treatment accessibility. Additionally, it could reduce both economic and social costs through the identification of people at risk thereby increasing the number of people who seek and receive treatment. This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II project will focus on refining the design and functionalization of an injectable alcohol micro-biosensor, developing a wearable device, and testing the alcohol micro-biosensor in animals. Once fully developed, our system for detecting, monitoring, and treating alcohol use disorders will consist of three components: 1) a multi-plex micro-biosensor, small enough to be directly injected under the skin. The sensor is customizable to continuously monitor and measure alcohol; 2) a wearable sensor device that provides power to the injected micro-biosensor while collecting the measured data to transmit to a nearby smartphone or other data aggregator; and 3) a mobile smartphone application developed by our company that uses evidence-based psychotherapy techniques to encourage behavior modification. The anticipated technical results include an implantable micro-biosensor for the continuous monitoring and measuring of alcohol consumption. Additionally, an unobtrusive wearable device that can power the biosensor and store and transmit the data collected is anticipated. Both of these components will have been tested in animals and be ready to move on to testing in humans. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.