Zxerex Corporation — Department of Health and Human Services SBIR Phase I: NIDA

Description

PROJECT SUMMARY With the exception of the Breathalyzer for alcoholthere is currently no available technology that can immediately identify neurologic impairment related to the use of licit or illicit drugsThe illicit use of opioids in particular currently represents a nation wide health crisiswith an estimatedmillion Americans misusing opioids inThe presently available methods for detecting opioidswhich rely upon analysis of urinebloodsalivaor hairare expensivetime consuming to implementand can take days to deliver actionable information to meet thefitness for dutyconcerns of employers as well as the needs for immediate detection of drug use detection in the drug rehabilitation and public safety fieldsThereforethere is a clear unmet need for an inexpensivenon invasiverapidand actionable method for determining whether a person is impaired due to use of drugsZxerex Corporation is seeking to solve this problem by identifying a biometricsignatureconsistent with the use of and impairment by prescription opioidsOur confidence in the potential for success using this approach is based on our prior experience with the development of signatures for the detection of fatigue and marijuana useThe approach we take allows us to analyze a constellation of oculomotor kinematics through the measurement of involuntary microsaccadic events in the eyesWe have taken these prior studies and moved towards the productization of a solution that measures the state of a subject and compares the measurement outcomes against these various signatures with accuracy and repeatability as a means of determining fitness for dutyOur proposed research is intended to develop a non invasive means of identifying temporary neurological impairment resulting from the use of prescription opioidsThe resultant signature will be incorporated into our existing product library of oculomotor biosignaturessuch as marijuana impairment and fatigueThis capability will be delivered as a Software as a Service and represents the first product on the market capable of immediate feedback as to the fitness of the subject for the work environmentIn this Phase I projecta clinical study will be conducted to determine the effects of a commonly prescribed opioid on involuntary eye movements during several visual tasksThe resulting data will be used to identify a dose dependent oculomotor biosignature for opioid impairment PROJECT NARRATIVE The misuse of prescription opioids represents a nationwide public health crisisyet there is no commercially available technology that can immediately detect intoxication and reduced fitness for work due to opioid useThe proposed project will allow Zxerex Corporation to develop a disruptivelow costnon invasivetechnology that measures eye movements and detects subtle changes caused by opioidsThis product will allow employersand other usersto quickly and easily identify persons who may be misusing opioidsensuring public safety and allowing for early detection and treatment of those who may be developing problems with drug use