The United States Air Force’s AFWERX program has selected Detroit-based Alerje Inc., a company that builds emergency medicine and digital health systems for people affected by food allergies, for a project to help combat opioid overdoses.
“We’re deeply committed to leveraging our team’s technical ‘superpowers’ and industry experience to address the escalating opioid crisis,” says Javier Evelyn, founder and CEO of Alerje. “Our journey in health tech, especially in emergency medicine, has always had the opioid epidemic on our radar. We’re excited to bring our fresh perspective and partnerships to providing much needed aid in this growing crisis. This new venture with the Air Force/AFWERX marks a significant step in our mission to deliver impactful, life-saving technologies to those who need them most.”
The AFWERX Small Business Innovation Research Phase I project is focused on developing a Rapid Naloxone Deployment System. Alerje now is eligible to participate in the competitive bid process.
The National Science Foundation defines the Small Business Innovation Research Phase I project as using new research and development to determine the scientific and technical feasibility of a new concept or innovation that could be developed into new products, processes, or services.
The DAF started the Open Topic SBIR/STTR program in 2018, which expanded the range of innovations being funded by the Air Force. Because of that, Alerje, despite the company’s relatively small size, can compete to create and provide new solutions that can address some of the Air Force’s opioid health problems.
