IU researchers are developing an opioid overdose detection device following a $3.8 million grant from the National Institute on Drug Abuse, according to a press release.
The device is a small patch and will measure blood oxygen level, respiratory rate, pulse rate and blood pressure and send data to the wearer’s smartphone. From the smartphone, artificial intelligence will determine the risk of developing respiratory depression. If the device detects a high risk, it will administer naloxone, a medication which can reverse an opioid overdose.
Feng Guo, a bioengineer and assistant professor of intelligent systems engineering at IU, worked with Ken Mackie, a professor in the IU Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences.
Guo and Mackie began the project when Mackie learned Guo was working on a concept device for automatic drug release. Mackie saw the device as a potential solution to overdose deaths.
Guo and Mackie are working with anesthesiologists and pain physicians Greg Terman and Jake Sunshine from the University of Washington to collect data from people taking opioids under a physician’s supervision. They are also receiving help from Larry Cheng, an engineer at Penn State University, to create the sensors for measuring physiological data.
