# Craving-based Digital Phenotyping During MOUD Treatment

> **NIH NIH R01** · UNIV OF MASSACHUSETTS MED SCH WORCESTER · 2024 · $797,239

## Abstract

Project Summary
The current opioid crisis in the United States has staggering public health implications. Medications for opioid
use disorder (MOUD) reduce morbidity and mortality in OUD, however rates of return to opioid use after
treatment initiation are still high. Craving is a critical component of OUD, and the heterogeneity with which it
occurs may provide insight into MOUD success. Non-invasive, wearable sensors have the potential to identify
objective digital biomarkers that correlate with craving, which can further be leveraged to develop digital
phenotypes of OUD using data from personal digital devices. However before this technology can realize its full
potential, important questions remain including the relationship between craving patterns during MOUD and
treatment outcomes, and the individual level factors that best supplement craving data to identify disease
phenotypes. To address this gap we will conduct a prospective, observational trial of N = 300 participants who
are initiating treatment with buprenorphine, methadone or naltrexone for OUD (including of individuals whose
primary drug of choice is heroin, fentanyl, or prescription opioids). We monitor participants for approximately 60
days from the time of MOUD initiation, during which continuous wearable sensor data will be passively collected.
We will use digital biomarkers of craving to understand craving patterns over time, and the develop clinically
informed digital phenotypes to predict MOUD responsiveness and outcomes. The Specific Aims of the proposal
are to: 1) Curate a high-quality annotated dataset of craving patterns during MOUD; 2) Model trajectories of
craving during initiation of treatment with MOUD and examine mediators and moderators between craving
patterns and opioid use outcomes; and 3) Develop clinically informed digital phenotypes that predict MOUD
outcomes. This project will provide critical insight into the use of digital biomarkers of craving the first 60 days of
MOUD treatment, and into distinct phenotypes within the larger umbrella diagnosis of OUD. These data can be
leveraged to modify course of MOUD therapy (dose, frequency or even dug choice), prime behavioral
interventions, improve treatment efficacy, and understand contextual patterns of craving that pose threats to
recovery. Furthermore, they can serve as novel measures for clinical trials to understand treatment effects in
more homogeneous sub-populations of individuals with OUD. Once validated, digital phenotypes of OUD will
provide opportunities to develop precision medicine approaches to MOUD treatment with just-in-time adaptive
digital interventions, develop companion digital diagnostics for MOUD, and support sustained recovery.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10979126
- **Project number:** 1R01DA059640-01A1
- **Recipient organization:** UNIV OF MASSACHUSETTS MED SCH WORCESTER
- **Principal Investigator:** STEPHANIE P CARREIRO
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $797,239
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2024-09-30 → 2029-07-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10979126

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10979126, Craving-based Digital Phenotyping During MOUD Treatment (1R01DA059640-01A1). Retrieved via MORVS 2026-10-27 from https://api.morvs.ai/grant/nih/10979126. Licensed CC0.

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