Transforming how we measure opioid use disorder and expand life-saving care
Official title: TRANSFORM - Transforming the evidence base on estimating prevalence of opioid use disorder and expanded access to interventions to prevent drug related deaths: an international data linkage study
Funded at University of New South Wales · NIH-11408702 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project will combine health data from several countries to better estimate how many people have opioid use disorder and how well treatment and prevention efforts are working.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of New South Wales NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Sydney, Australia) |
| Project start | August 15, 2024 |
| Project end | May 31, 2029 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $833,201 |
| NIH project number | 5R01DA059822-03 |
| Project ID | NIH-11408702 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates are individuals with or at risk for opioid use disorder whose health data can be linked across participating regions.
✕Less likely to help
People whose data cannot be linked or who are not impacted by OUD prevalence and treatment metrics may see limited direct benefit.
What this research studies
Researchers will link individual health records from multiple regions in the US, Australia, and the UK to create more accurate estimates of how common opioid use disorder is and how widely opioid agonist treatment is available. The study uses advanced Bayesian methods to handle complex data and to understand variations across places and subgroups. By sharing methods and resources, this work aims to improve data-based decision-making so communities can scale up effective treatments and prevent deaths.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the project could lead to more accurate counts of people with opioid use disorder and clearer paths to expanding access to treatment and prevention efforts.
How similar studies have gone: Precedents show that data linkage can reveal important patterns in OUD prevalence and treatment gaps, though this multi-jurisdiction approach is innovative.
Where this research is happening
-
University of New South Wales
Sydney, Australia Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Degenhardt, Louisa — University of New South Wales
- Study coordinator: Degenhardt, Louisa
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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.