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Credit: CC0 Public Domain
A revolutionary drug test developed from research at the University of East Anglia can detect four classes of drugs in a fingerprint. And the technology works on both the living and deceased.
New research published in the Journal of Analytical Toxicology shows how the Intelligent Fingerprinting Drug Screening System enables the detection of amphetamines, cannabis, cocaine and opiates from a single fingerprint sample in just ten minutes.
The technology also works when collected by UK coroners to detect drugs.
Founded in 2007, Intelligent Fingerprinting is a spin-out company from UEA. The Drug Screening System works by analyzing the sweat from a fingerprint sample.
Other methods of screening the saliva or urine samples, the technique is non-invasive, dignified and non-biohazardous.
It is also used in the field of mortality, which is also used in drug rehabilitation centers and workplaces. Studies are also underway for their use in airport screening and for offender management applications within prisons and probation services.
Emeritus Prof. David Russell, from UEA's School of Chemistry, was co-author of the research and is the Intelligent Fingerprinting's Founder and Chief Scientific Officer.
He said: "This new research can be used as a tool for rapid screening.
"Our study also shows how our technology is being used to improve the understanding of the possible cause of death, and to inform potential further post-mortem activities.
"We matched the coroners' drug test results obtained with our fingerprint drug test with a second sample in laboratory conditions, excellent correlation in terms of accuracy," he added.
"We also compare our results with toxicological analysis of blood and urine samples, with a good correlation of results."
"This important research demonstrates the fact that it is sufficient sweat present in a fingerprint, regardless of whether it is alive or dead, to enable our fingertip-based drug screening system to detect the presence of four major drugs at the same time, "Added Intelligent Fingerprinting's Dr. Paul Yates.
"The results of our coroner service trials are also very easy to demonstrate, and we need to be more flexible and easy to use.
"Drug screening using the sweat of a fingerprint: lateral flow detection of Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol, cocaine, opiates and amphetamine 'is published in the Journal of Analytical Toxicology.
Explore further:
One in ten people have traces of cocaine or heroin on their fingerprints
More information:
Mark Hudson et al. Drug screening using the sweat of a fingerprint9-tetrahydrocannabinol, cocaine, opiates and amphetamine, Journal of Analytical Toxicology (2018). DOI: 10.1093 / jat / bky068
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