Expanding Our Mission: Alerje Tackles Opioid Crisis in Military and Veteran Communities, Leveraging Proven AI Tech for Rapid Naloxone Distribution

DETROIT--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Alerje, Inc. announces it has been selected by AFWERX for a SBIR Phase I focused on focusing on a Rapid Naloxone Deployment System (RNDS) to address some of the most pressing challenges in the Department of the Air Force (DAF) and beyond in our country. The Air Force Research Laboratory and AFWERX have partnered to streamline the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) process by accelerating the small business experience through faster proposal to award timelines, changing the pool of potential applicants by expanding opportunities to small business and eliminating bureaucratic overhead by continually implementing process improvement changes in contract execution. The DAF began offering the Open Topic SBIR/STTR program in 2018 which expanded the range of innovations the DAF funded, Alerje will embark upon its journey to creating and providing innovative solutions that will strengthen the national defense of the United States of America.

“We’re deeply committed to leveraging our team’s technical ‘super powers’ and industry experience to address the escalating opioid crisis. Our journey in health tech, especially in emergency medicine, has always had the opioid epidemic on our radar,” said Javier Evelyn, Founder & CEO of Alerje. “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 views expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the Department of the Air Force, the Department of Defense, or the U.S. government.

About Alerje Inc.

Alerje, Inc., a Michigan-based company, builds emergency medicine & digital health solutions for 220M families worldwide impacted by food allergies. Our National Science Foundation validated RTM adherence platform for OIT/SLIT collects, stores, analyzes, and distributes clinically relevant information for families, allergists, insurers, & pharma. Our epinephrine auto-injector integrates into a smartphone case for improved patient adherence improvement and alerts.

About AFRL

The Air Force Research Laboratory is the primary scientific research and development center for the Department of the Air Force. AFRL plays an integral role in leading the discovery, development, and integration of affordable warfighting technologies for our air, space and cyberspace force. With a workforce of more than 12,500 across nine technology areas and 40 other operations across the globe, AFRL provides a diverse portfolio of science and technology ranging from fundamental to advanced research and technology development. For more information, visit afresearchlab.com.

About AFWERX

As the innovation arm of the DAF and a directorate within the Air Force Research Laboratory, AFWERX brings cutting-edge American ingenuity from small businesses and start-ups to address the most pressing challenges of the DAF. AFWERX employs approximately 325 military, civilian and contractor personnel at six hubs and sites executing an annual $1.4 billion budget. Since 2019, AFWERX has executed 4,697 contracts worth more than $2.6 billion to strengthen the U.S. defense industrial base and drive faster technology transition to operational capability. For more information, visit: afwerx.com.