# Neonatal Opioid Screening Using Aptamers and Compensated Interferometry

> **NIH NIH R44** · BASE PAIR BIOTECHNOLOGIES, INC. · 2020 · $99,997

## Abstract

Project Summary/Abstract
The United States is experiencing an opioid epidemic of unprecedented scope. More than 6 out
of 10 drug overdoses are now opioid-related, resulting in ~90 deaths/day. The economic impact
of the epidemic has been estimated to exceed $75B/year, primarily from health and social costs
related to prescription opioid use [Pain Med. 2011; 12(4):657-67. 2013; 14(10):1534-47]. New
legislative actions are likely to be taken to address the crisis.
Newborn Abstinence Syndrome, which results from maternal opioid drug use prior to birth, is a
serious condition that afflicts approximately 6% of all neonates born today in the U.S. and which
is increasing rapidly in incidence because of this epidemic. Availability of a rapid screening test
that can be administered at the point of care to all neonates would allow for early intervention,
reducing costs of treatment and reducing pain and suffering for this vulnerable and helpless
patient population. In addition, neonates who require surgery shortly after birth often endure
continuous intravenous infusion of morphine or related compounds, which result in development
of the same syndrome, as these infants also become addicted to their prescribed medications.
Providing a platform to accurately monitor actual levels of these drugs and their metabolites in
such patients would allow better-controlled use of these pain management treatments,
personalized to the needs of the individual neonate, reducing the probability of addiction and
resulting complications, which include deleterious neurological effects.
The purpose of this FastTrack SBIR project is to expand upon our preliminary results and
prepare for commercialization. We have already demonstrated that backscattering
interferometry can be used in combination with highly-selective DNA aptamers to sensitively
and accurately detect opioids and their primary urinary metabolites in one microliter urine
samples, in less than a minute after sample introduction into our device. In this program, we will
improve this platform by (i) modifying the instrument to reduce cost per test and permit
multiplexing; (ii) develop the rest of the assay menu needed to detect all the most commonly
abused opioid drugs and their metabolites in these samples; and (iii) test the new point of care
instrument and assays versus gold-standard mass spectrometry lab-based tests, using real
samples obtained from the target patient population.
A highly experienced, collaborative team that includes aptamer and assay development
scientists at Base Pair Biotechnologies, backscattering interferometry experts at Vanderbilt
University, medical device engineers at BioTex, Inc., a clinician from Vanderbilt University
Health Center, and a neonatologist with translational/commercialization experience will work
together to achieve these goals. A regulatory expert will advise on assay, software and
instrument design for use in hospitals, clinics and other venues in which such tests are likel...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10067688
- **Project number:** 3R44DA047866-01S1
- **Recipient organization:** BASE PAIR BIOTECHNOLOGIES, INC.
- **Principal Investigator:** George W Jackson
- **Activity code:** R44 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $99,997
- **Award type:** 3
- **Project period:** 2019-03-01 → 2020-07-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10067688

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10067688, Neonatal Opioid Screening Using Aptamers and Compensated Interferometry (3R44DA047866-01S1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-25 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10067688. Licensed CC0.

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