Smartphones for Opioid Addiction Recovery
Official title: SOAR: Smartphones for Opioid Addiction Recovery
Funded at New York University School of Medicine · NIH-11370780 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project is creating a smartphone tool to help people with Opioid Use Disorder stay on track with their treatment by predicting when they might be at risk of using opioids again.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | New York University School of Medicine NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (New York, United States) |
| Project start | August 15, 2021 |
| Project end | May 31, 2026 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $140,800 |
| NIH project number | 3R01DA054220-05S1 |
| Project ID | NIH-11370780 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates are individuals undergoing treatment for Opioid Use Disorder who own a smartphone and are willing to use a mobile application as part of their recovery plan.
✕Less likely to help
Patients who do not have access to a smartphone or are unwilling to engage with a mobile application for their treatment may not directly benefit from this specific tool.
What this research studies
Many people struggle with Opioid Use Disorder, and it can be hard to stick with treatment if you use opioids again. This project is developing a special smartphone app that can predict, with high accuracy, the chance someone might use opioids within the next 7-10 days. The app uses a quick, 5-minute set of questions to provide this prediction. The goal is to give patients and their doctors a heads-up, so they can adjust treatment and offer extra support when it's most needed.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this tool could significantly reduce the rates of opioid reuse during treatment, helping more people achieve lasting recovery.
How similar studies have gone: Preliminary work has shown that the prediction instruments are twice as accurate as existing tools, and a pilot test of the smartphone app demonstrated high patient retention and compliance.
Where this research is happening
-
New York University School of Medicine
New York, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Glimcher, Paul W — New York University School of Medicine
- Study coordinator: Glimcher, Paul W
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
-
Reducing Addiction Risk in High Schools Through Better Prevention Infrastructure
Aims to build a sustainable, school-based system to prevent opioid and other drug use among high school students, especially those at higher risk.
-
HEAL Data Platform to share addiction-related data across programs
A platform project to make HEAL data from many programs easier to find and use, helping researchers and clinicians access information about addiction in children and youth.
-
Cognitively-enhanced tDCS to reduce cocaine craving
A study to test whether real brain stimulation together with learning strategies can lessen craving in people with cocaine use disorder.
-
Yale center researching how tobacco products affect use and addiction in people
A Yale research center is studying how nicotine, flavor additives, and other ingredients in tobacco products influence people’s likelihood of starting and becoming addicted.
-
Atherosclerosis in cocaine addiction: imaging risk with PET/MR
This project uses PET/MR imaging to look for early artery disease in people with cocaine use disorder to help prevent strokes or other brain injuries.
-
Integrating long-acting PrEP into street medicine for people who use drugs
This project tests whether a long-acting HIV prevention shot (lenacapavir) can be feasibly and acceptably offered by street-based health teams to people who use drugs.
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.