# Establishing the market-readiness of an in vivo technology for assessing drug toxicity-induced tissue damage

> **NIH NIH R42** · DURAMETRIX LLC · 2024 · $1,011,661

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY
There is a substantial and growing need for in vivo toxicity testing, as in drug R&D it is critical to be able to
understand toxicity and to identify and eliminate overly toxic candidates. We developed an imaging-based
approach that detects toxicity-induced tissue injury in a minimally invasive, whole body and dynamic fashion.
The goal of the current Phase II STTR grant is to expand the marketability and market readiness of the
technology by demonstrating a broadened scope of utilities including semi-quantitative characterization and drug
safety. Overall, this in vivo imaging approach identifies an important marker for drug toxicity on a personalized
basis with objective and quantitative metric. The early detection of drug toxicity in susceptible tissues will help
make timely decisions in drug R&D by prioritizing safe and efficacious candidates. The technology is applicable
to multiple stages in pharmaceutical R&D and is expected to generate a significant impact on drug development
and drug safety.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10921369
- **Project number:** 2R42GM140538-02
- **Recipient organization:** DURAMETRIX LLC
- **Principal Investigator:** Steven Edward Johnson
- **Activity code:** R42 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $1,011,661
- **Award type:** 2
- **Project period:** 2021-02-02 → 2026-05-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10921369

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10921369, Establishing the market-readiness of an in vivo technology for assessing drug toxicity-induced tissue damage (2R42GM140538-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10921369. Licensed CC0.

---

*[NIH grants dataset](/datasets/nih-grants) · CC0 1.0*