NIH Funds Salimetrics SBIR Study of Insulin Testing in Dried Saliva

On November 5, 2026, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) awarded Salimetrics, LLC a Phase I Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant to evaluate a potential approach to metabolic health assessment. The project will investigate whether insulin can be measured in dried saliva spots, using a collection concept comparable to dried blood spot sampling. The award was made under funding opportunity RFA-MD-24-006, which supports research aimed at improving minority health and reducing health disparities. NIH did not disclose the award amount in the available announcement.

The proposed method is intended to make biological sample collection, storage, and transport more convenient, potentially reducing logistical barriers that can restrict participation in metabolic health research. The announcement specifically identifies rural and underserved communities as populations for whom access barriers may be significant. During Phase I, Salimetrics plans to conduct analytical and feasibility studies and work with community partners to evaluate the approach across diverse participant groups. The work is exploratory: it will help determine whether the method warrants further research and development, but does not establish that the assay is validated or ready for clinical use.

For federal contractors and biomedical research firms, this is a company-specific award signal and an example of NIH SBIR funding supporting early technical evaluation of a research tool. The scope indicates that feasibility, analytical performance, and engagement with community partners are central to the proposed effort. Firms developing diagnostic technologies may find the funding opportunity identifier useful for understanding the program context, but this announcement is not an open solicitation and does not provide a submission deadline. It therefore signals an awarded project rather than an immediate bid opportunity.

The project is led by Steven W. Granger, Ph.D., Salimetrics’ Chief Scientific Officer and principal investigator. The announced team also includes Salimetrics founder and Chief Scientific and Strategy Advisor Douglas A. Granger, Ph.D.; Benjamin Wiegand, Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer of the Connected World Without Disease Accelerator; and James LaBelle, M.D., Medical Director. Consultants named in the release are Jamila Stockman, Ph.D., of UC San Diego; Todd Lucas, Ph.D., of Michigan State University; and Karen Lindsay, Ph.D., of UC Irvine. These collaborators bring expertise in salivary biomarker research, assay development, and laboratory testing methods, while the community-partner component may inform how a collection approach performs across participant groups and research settings.

• Awarding agency: NIH; the award is a Phase I SBIR grant to Salimetrics, LLC.
• Funding opportunity: RFA-MD-24-006, focused on research to improve minority health and reduce health disparities.
• Project question: whether insulin can be measured in dried saliva spots.
• Phase I activities: analytical and feasibility studies, plus work with community partners across diverse participant groups.
• Potential research benefit: simpler sample collection, storage, and transport could reduce logistical barriers to participation, including in rural and underserved communities.
• Award value: not disclosed in the announcement.
• Technical maturity: early-stage evaluation only; the award does not establish assay validation or clinical readiness.
• Procurement takeaway: the award illustrates an NIH SBIR pathway for developing evidence on biomedical research tools; the announcement does not identify an active solicitation or deadline.
• Named project contributors: Steven W. Granger, Douglas A. Granger, Benjamin Wiegand, James LaBelle, Jamila Stockman, Todd Lucas, and Karen Lindsay.
• Company statement: Steve Granger said the team’s immediate focus is “generating the evidence needed to guide responsible development” and assess the approach’s potential value in research and, ultimately, health care.