Tel-Me-Box: Validating and testing a novel, low cost, real-time monitoring device with hair level analysis among adherence-challenged patients

“Tel-Me-Box” is a small, low-cost, adherence monitoring device, developed by our team that transmits a wireless signal to a server when opened.  Since it cannot assess actual drug ingestion, validation against a biological measure of adherence is crucial.  The overarching hypothesis of this application is that adherence data captured by Tel-Me-Box will demonstrate strong relationships with an objective biomarker of adherence (i.e. hair concentrations of ARVs) and predict virologic suppression in treated HIV-infected individuals.  We additionally hypothesize that tailored real-time adherence feedback via this device will improve adherence rates to HIV therapy for adherence-challenged patients in a pilot randomized clinical trial.  This five-year study is being conducted in collaboration with our colleagues at St. John’s National Academy of Health Sciences in Bangalore and the Karnataka State government. 

PIs: Maria L. Ekstrand PhD, Monica Gandhi MD, MPH

Co-Is: Sara Chandy MD, Rajani Shamsundar, MD

UCSF-based Project Staff: Elsa Heylen MA, Amanda Mazur MS

September 23, 2016 - July 31, 2021