AI-based Depression Severity Tool for Drug Development
Official title: AI-Clinical Outcome Assessment (AI-COA) for Depression: an Innovative Drug Development Tool
Funded at Deliberate Solutions, INC. · NIH-11186928 · Data updated 2026-11-12
A new AI-driven tool called AICOA® helps measure how severe depression is, to support development and regulatory approval of new medicines.
Quick facts
| Grant type | Sbir 2 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Deliberate Solutions, INC. NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (New York, UNITED STATES) |
| Project start | August 5, 2026 |
| Project end | July 31, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $1,415,720 |
| NIH project number | 1R44MH140727-01 |
| Project ID | NIH-11186928 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Adults with depression who may enroll in clinical studies evaluating new antidepressant therapies.
✕Less likely to help
If you are not participating in trials or if AI-based assessments are not suitable for your condition, you may not directly benefit.
What this research studies
If you have depression, this project aims to improve how we measure its severity using multiple data signals analyzed by artificial intelligence. The tool is designed to provide a more consistent and objective assessment than traditional rating scales, potentially reducing measurement errors in clinical trials. The work will involve validating the AI model in real-world clinical contexts and preparing it for regulatory qualification so it can be used in future drug development. This is about building a better measurement method that could speed up the development of new treatments while ensuring accurate outcomes.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, patients could benefit from more reliable assessments that improve trial success rates and accelerate access to effective therapies.
How similar studies have gone: Similar AI-based measurement approaches have shown promise in correlating with traditional scales, but regulatory qualification is still ongoing.
Where this research is happening
-
Deliberate Solutions, INC.
New York, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Aafjes, Marc — Deliberate Solutions, INC.
- Study coordinator: Aafjes, Marc
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About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.