# Development and Evaluation of a Mobile Directly Observed Therapy Smartphone App for Immunosuppressive Adherence in Transplant Patients

> **NIH NIH R44** · EMOCHA MOBILE HEALTH, INC. · 2020 · $744,727

## Abstract

Project Summary
Outcomes following solid organ transplantation (SOT) are generally excellent with 5-year survival exceeding
85% for most graft types and age groups. Immunosuppression nonadherence is an important factor leading to
graft failure and patient mortality in SOT recipients since individuals are required to make a lifelong
commitment to a strict medication schedule. Nonadherence has been reported to range from 15 to 40% among
liver patients and more than 30% among kidney patients.
Mobile applications (“apps”) provide a low-cost and scalable opportunity to improve medication adherence
through more consistent monitoring, earlier detection of nonadherence, and frequent patient-provider
communication with nonadherent patients. We have developed a patient-facing mHealth app, mDOT for
Transplantation, that enables patients to view their immunosuppression regimen, record themselves taking
doses of their medication, track and visualize progress on their own and with their transplant coordinator,
document symptoms and side effects, and access educational content. There is a transplant provider web-
based platform where they can review patient submitted videos, provide feedback about accepting the video as
evidence of adherence, and receive notifications when patients report symptoms.
The proposed project seeks to optimize this tool to increase medication adherence in transplant recipients. The
aims of the project are: 1) to enhance mDOT for Transplantation with 2-way patient-provider
communication/messaging capabilities and standardized text messages to promote behavior change and 2) to
perform a pilot randomized controlled trial of mDOT for Transplantation compared to standard-of-care in SOT
patients.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10024541
- **Project number:** 4R44DK123978-02
- **Recipient organization:** EMOCHA MOBILE HEALTH, INC.
- **Principal Investigator:** DORRY L. SEGEV
- **Activity code:** R44 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $744,727
- **Award type:** 4N
- **Project period:** 2019-09-19 → 2022-08-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10024541

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10024541, Development and Evaluation of a Mobile Directly Observed Therapy Smartphone App for Immunosuppressive Adherence in Transplant Patients (4R44DK123978-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10024541. Licensed CC0.

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