# Developing a mobile alcohol biosensor platform for use in medication testing research

> **NIH NIH K23** · YALE UNIVERSITY · 2021 · $165,343

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT
This mentored patient-oriented research career development award (K23) will enable Dr. Roberts to achieve
his long-term career goal of becoming an independent clinical researcher working to develop
pharmacotherapies for alcohol use disorder (AUD). This proposal outlines a 5-year training plan that supports
a research program focused on developing a mobile biosensor platform for tracking medication effects on
alcohol reactivity in ambulating outpatients. Training domains include 1) mobile biosensor assessment of
alcohol use, 2) management and analysis of biosensor data, and 3) AUD pharmacotherapy development
research. The training plan includes a strategic combination of mentor-led trainings; coursework in mobile
health sensing, data science, statistics, bioethics, clinical research methods, and grant writing; attendance at
relevant conferences and workshops; and collaboration with investigators conducting research in AUD
pharmacotherapy development. The candidate will complete these training activities while completing a
research program aimed at developing a mobile biosensor platform that can passively track alcohol
consumption and deliver conditional assessments at key points during drinking episodes. In these preliminary
studies, heavy drinkers with AUD will wear the mobile biosensors and receive alcohol in the laboratory. In
Experiment 1, participants will receive two fixed doses of alcohol while wearing the biosensors and responding
to prompted assessments. Goals of this experiment will be to 1) refine the machine-learning derived detection
algorithms that will identify key points during drinking episodes and 2) evaluate the user experience and
feasibility of delivering prompted assessments on a smartphone during drinking episodes. Experiment 2 will
test the detection algorithms in a separate sample of freely behaving participants engaged in self-paced
alcohol drinking. Results of these studies will serve as pilot data to support an R-mechanism application to
develop a formal paradigm using the biosensor platform to track medication effects of alcohol use and
reactivity in ambulating outpatients. Dr. Roberts has assembled an mentorship committee of leaders in the
field. Dr. McKee (primary mentor) is a Professor of Psychiatry at the Yale University. She applies innovative
laboratory paradigms to AUD pharmacotherapy development research, and she has several lines of research
using mobile health biosensors to track substance use behavior. Dr. Ramchandani (primary co-mentor) is a
clinical investigator and Chief of the Human Psychopharmacology Section at the NIAAA intramural research
program. He will lead Dr. Roberts's training in alcohol pharmacokinetics. Drs. Gueorguieva, Petrakis, and
Gerstein will serve as secondary mentors and contribute to Dr. Roberts's training in longitudinal data analysis,
AUD pharmacotherapy clinical trials, and machine learning and data science, respectively. Drs. Miranda and
Barnett will serve...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10155380
- **Project number:** 5K23AA026890-03
- **Recipient organization:** YALE UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Walter McRainey Roberts
- **Activity code:** K23 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $165,343
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2019-05-20 → 2024-04-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10155380

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10155380, Developing a mobile alcohol biosensor platform for use in medication testing research (5K23AA026890-03). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-06-11 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10155380. Licensed CC0.

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