Four Youth Addiction Technologies Split a $200,000 Grant

The Alliance for Pediatric Device Innovation (APDI), a nonprofit consortium led by Children’s National Hospital and funded through the FDA, announced the recipients of grants totaling $200,000 to advance pediatric medical devices that improve the monitoring, diagnosis or treatment of youth suffering from substance use disorder and addiction. 
 
Each awardee received $50,000 and opportunities for APDI support services across all phases of the medical device product lifecycle, including facilitating access to technical assistance from the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA).
 
Recipients were chosen by a panel of expert judges. This funding initiative is in response to the alarming rate of illicit drug use by U.S. youth – about 3.6 million among ages 12 to 17 in 2022, as reported by the National Institutes of Health. 
 
Recipients include:
 
AltruMed, Philadelphia, Pa. – Creators of DOVE, an innovative, shoulder-mounted device designed as a safety tool for those most at risk from overdose toxicity. Smaller than a matchbox, DOVE employs multi-modal sensing to detect severe respiratory depression and alerts bystanders and first responders.
 
Levl, Brooklyn, N.Y. – Developing a remote therapeutic monitoring platform designed to address the critical challenges associated with stimulant medication treatment for adolescents with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, a group at greater risk for substance abuse. Based on collected patient data, Levl’s proprietary, early risk detection mechanism is designed to enhance the safety and effectiveness of stimulant medication treatments in response to the rise in misuse and diversion among youth.
 
Sibel Health, Chicago, Ill. – Providers of the FDA-cleared ANNE platform that includes advanced wearable sensors, artificial intelligence-enabled data analytics and an integrated mobile software and cloud platform for adolescents ages 12 and up. Grant funds will be used to modify the existing monitoring solution for use by patients and healthcare providers to detect opiate-induced respiratory depression in high-risk adolescents.
 
Toivoa, Washington, D.C. – Developer of an evidence-based digital therapeutic platform that aims to increase access to care, reduce wait times, provide caregiver tools and offer personalized mental health support. Grant funds will be used for platform modifications that address mental health challenges for adolescents with dual diagnoses, including mental health and substance use disorder, and to address the support needs of caregivers.
 
 
APDI’s grant awards follow the National Advisory Council on Drug Abuse (NACDA) approval in May 2024 of the concept “Promoting Medical Device Development for Youth Affected by Drug Addiction and Substance Misuse,” which describes potential funding opportunities. 
 
“Recognizing that drug overdose is now the third leading cause of death among adolescents, we see an urgent need to support new technologies that can help families and providers address this problem,” said Kolaleh Eskandanian, Ph.D., M.B.A., vice president and chief innovation officer at Children’s National and APDI principal investigator and program director. “We look forward to working with these grantees and see great potential in the lifesaving and life-changing impact that their technologies could make possible.”
 
APDI aims to provide early support to promising innovations, recognizing that additional funding may be available from NIDA in the future.