As the opioid crisis continues to rage, so does the fight. This series about how technology is being used to combat the crisis also continues, hoping to serve as a spotlight on how technology and startups are seeking solutions.
12 winners won part of a $200,000 prize after participating in the second phase of the Ohio Technology Opioid Challenge.
Dr. Abraham Joy, an associate professor in the Department of Polymer Science at the University of Akron, is one of those receiving a piece of the pie.
The idea that secured a spot? Joy and his colleagues proposed a solution that will allow first responders to instantly test to see what a user has in their system. They are developing a polymer “wet wipe” that can be rubbed on a user’s body, and it will turn a certain color if there are opioids present within said user.
“We were surprised there was not an easy solution to the current problem.”
“We’ve been interested in opioid research activities for some time, but this grant, along the lines of detection, was new for us,” he said. Previously, they focused on therapeutic solutions to ease addicts symptoms.
Joy and his team approached the local police department to see if their proposed solution could work — and to get an idea of how law enforcement deal with the opioid crisis firsthand. Joy added that he didn’t want to pursue the "wet wipe" idea if it wasn't practical for the people who would be administrating it.
“When we went there, we were almost certain they already had a solution,” he said. “We were surprised there was not an easy solution to the current problem.”
There are some quick fixes out there, such as drug kits, but they’re often time-consuming and complicated to use.
When the "wet wipe" idea came to the team, it was a “eureka” moment; first-responders could use polymers to detect heroin and fentanyl, which would in turn allow them to know exactly what they’re dealing with right off the bat.
However, one of the challenges the team faced was detecting drugs that had been cut with something. They wanted to make sure the polymer material would be able to detect when a drug has been laced.
“We learned later on in talking to crime lab scientists that in a street sample, you get a mix of all kinds of things,” he said. “And, oftentimes the major component is not the opioid, but a cutting agent.”
Challenges aside, the team currently has a prototype and are happy with how quickly the polymer reacts to drugs in the user. However, they are hoping to get it turn a sharper color, so they know for sure what drug they are dealing with system.
“Now, we have to make sure the efficiency of the product is high enough to be deployed,” he said. “The response time is fast enough to be relevant in a field situation.”
Joy believes they are about one year out from a fully functional model.
This will be around the time the third and last phase of the challenge will conclude. The winners of the last phase will receive a $1 million dollar prize.
The challenge itself stems from Ohio Governor John Kasich’s plan to help solve the opioid crisis. Nearly $20 million was set aside for the project, which solicited proposals from company’s around the United States. The first phase was the ideation, with the current phase asking for real-life prototypes. The last phase will help products go to market.
