Funding will be distributed over four years and will contribute to the development of technology that detects when a person is overdosing on an opioid and delivers naloxone to reverse the action, according to an Oct. 6 news release.
Rescue Biomedical CEO Hyowon “Hugh” Lee, PhD, said the company looks to partner with recovery clinics and clinicians to identify and work with opioid use disorder (OUD) patients at high risk of overdosing.
“Our device is a closed-loop drug delivery system that automatically detects when someone is overdosing and immediately provides life-saving naloxone to prevent long-term neurological damage or death,” Dr. Lee said.
Rescue Biomedical’s team includes researchers from West Lafayette-based Purdue University, MED Institute, and Allyson Dir, PhD, assistant professor at the Indianapolis-based Indiana University School of Medicine, who said that the research comes at a critical time when medical professionals are seeing record rates of opioid overdoses.
“Harm reduction is meant to save lives, and this potential technology will be a great addition to that toolkit of strategies and interventions. The more resources that are available, the more opportunities there are to improve outcomes and save lives,” Dr. Dir said.
