Pasar al contenido principal
  • Socios aprobados
  • Acerca de ELGA
    • Acerca de ELGA
    • Empleo
    • Eventos
  • Soporte
    • Registrar un producto
    • Register Your Product (USA & Canada Only)
  • Contacto
  • English
  • Deutsch
  • Français
  • Italiano
  • Português
  • 日本語
  • 中文
Inicio ELGA LabWater
  • Productos
    • PURELAB
    • CENTRA
    • MEDICA
    • BIOPURE
    • Gama completa de productos ELGA
  • Aplicaciones
    • Análisis microbiológico
    • Bioquímica clínica
    • Cromatografía de gases
    • Cromatografía líquida
    • Cultivos celulares
    • Electroquímica
    • Espectrofotometría
    • Espectrometría de masas
    • Espectroscopia atómica
    • Genética
    • Inmunoquímica
    • Requisitos generales de agua de laboratorio
  • Tecnologías
    • Carbón activado
    • Electrodesionización (EDI)
    • Filtración
    • Intercambio iónico
    • PureSure
    • Ultravioleta
    • Ósmosis inversa
  • Impurezas en el agua
    • Compuestos inorgánicos
    • Compuestos orgánicos
    • Gases disueltos
    • Microorganismos y bacterias
    • Partículas
  • Planificación de laboratorio
  • Knowledge
    • Blog
    • Casos prácticos
    • Agua ultrapura
    • Manuales e informes técnicos
  • Productos
    • PURELAB
      • PURELAB® flex 1 y 2
      • PURELAB® flex 3 y 4
    • CENTRA
      • CENTRA® 60/120
      • CENTRA® RDS
      • CENTRA® R200
    • MEDICA
      • MEDICA® 7/15
      • MEDICA® EDI 15/30
      • MEDICA® Pro EDI 60/120
      • MEDICA® Pro-LPS
      • MEDICA® Pro-R y Pro-RE
      • MEDICA® R200
    • BIOPURE
      • BIOPURE 7/15
      • BIOPURE 60/120
      • BIOPURE 200/300/600
    • Gama completa de productos ELGA
      • PURELAB® Classic
  • Aplicaciones
    • Análisis microbiológico
    • Bioquímica clínica
    • Cromatografía de gases
    • Cromatografía líquida
    • Cultivos celulares
    • Electroquímica
    • Espectrofotometría
    • Espectrometría de masas
    • Espectroscopia atómica
    • Genética
    • Inmunoquímica
    • Requisitos generales de agua de laboratorio
  • Tecnologías
    • Carbón activado
    • Electrodesionización (EDI)
    • Filtración
    • Intercambio iónico
    • PureSure
    • Ultravioleta
    • Ósmosis inversa
  • Impurezas en el agua
    • Compuestos inorgánicos
    • Compuestos orgánicos
    • Gases disueltos
    • Microorganismos y bacterias
    • Partículas
  • Planificación de laboratorio
  • Knowledge
    • Blog
      • Analytical Chemistry
      • Clinical & Pharma
      • Cool Science
      • Environment and sustainability
      • Life in the lab
      • Purelab product design
      • Science of the future
      • Water Purity
      • Water in the lab
    • Casos prácticos
      • Abbott Diagnostics elige sistemas ELGA MEDICA en el sur de Asia
      • Beam Me Up, Scotty: PURELAB® Option Q Delivers Essential Ultra Pure Water
      • Clean Water for a Clean Future
      • Critital Tests Benefit from PURELAB® Option Reliable Pure Water
      • DASA: la mayor empresa de diagnóstico médico de Brasil
      • ELGA ayuda a los laboratorios de inmunoserología a maximizar el tiempo de actividad
      • Fondazione Telethon Continues to Choose ELGA Labwater as a Trusted Partner
      • La importancia del agua ultrapura de tipo 1+ para el desarrollo de medicamentos genéricos
      • Seleccionan MEDICA® Pro para los analizadores Siemens ADVIA® del City General Hospital
      • Optimale Wasserqualität für mikrobiologische Forschung und Lehre
      • PURELAB® Option R Guarantees Pure Water for Leading Microfluidics Technology
      • PURELAB® Pulse Delivers Reliable Water Quality and Quantity for a Wide Range of Applications
      • PURELAB® flex: un sistema de formación ideal para el método de investigación actual
      • Powering Cutting-Edge Gene Research
      • Sichere Reinstwasserversorgung für präzise Produkttests
      • Zentrale Reinstwasser-Aufbereitung für Analyser
      • ELGA LabWater and Beckman Coulter Join Forces
      • Applied New Technologies Department Improves ICP, IC & HPLC Sample Turnaround Times with PURELAB®
      • Descubrir los secretos de la Antártida con ayuda del agua ultrapura
      • Advancing Genetic Technologies
      • Cross Infection Control: Pure and Simple
      • Researching effective new ways to prevent cardiovascular disease at the University of Columbia
    • Agua ultrapura
    • Manuales e informes técnicos
      • Pureza de agua de HPLC
      • HPLC en farmacia
      • Reducción del riesgo clínico
      • Sostenibilidad
  • English
  • Deutsch
  • Français
  • Italiano
  • Português
  • 日本語
  • 中文
  • Política de privacidad
  • Términos y condiciones
  • Cumplimiento legal internacional
  • Patentes
  • Aviso legal
  • Inicio
  • Node
  • Improving Hair Testing For Drug Abuse
Analytical Chemistry
Cool Science

Improving Hair Testing For Drug Abuse

31 Ago 2020
- by Dr Alison Halliday

Microscopic picture (400x magnification) of roots of hair in human head skin. Hair follicles.

Forensic laboratories could benefit from a simple, robust new analytical method for the routine screening of hair samples for the presence of illicit drugs.

Establishing a person’s exposure to drugs is a crucial aspect of forensic testing. Traditionally, ‘toxicological screening’ has usually been performed on blood or urine samples. But in recent years, hair testing has become a well-established technique. As well as being easy to collect, hair samples can also provide information about a person’s historic exposure that can extend to several months beforehand.

Other the past few decades, remarkable advances in mass spectrometry has led to the technique becoming established as the gold standard in forensic hair analysis. However, the technology has not yet been widely adopted for the broad preliminary screening of samples, which is still largely based on antibody-based assays.

A New Instrumental Approach

In a new study, published in the Journal of Chromatography B, scientists test a novel mass spectrometry approach that was recently developed for the routine analysis of drugs of abuse applied to hair toxicological screening.1

The researchers carried out the new instrumental procedure based on UHPLC–Ion Trap-MS and involving a simple pre-treatment of hair samples in acid overnight followed by direct injection after neutralisation. In parallel, they analysed all samples using the routine mass spectrometry techniques that were already established in their laboratory. They found the new method had limits of detection ranging between 0.01 and 0.09 ng/mg of hair matrix for a panel of 16 drugs of abuse (except for MDA, morphine, 6–MAM and norketamine).

Good Analytical Performance

The researchers first tested 40 hair samples collected from volunteers with no history of drug abuse, detecting no false positives. They then moved on to assess 968 real hair samples from forensic cases, finding that the new method corresponded well with results obtained from the routine procedure in terms of positive and negative samples.

Finally, the researchers analysed 12 proficiency test samples, finding that the new method was not only limited to screening for common drugs of abuse but could also successfully test for new psychoactive substances, including fentanyls and cathinones. The team used an ELGA PURELAB® laboratory water purification system to obtain ultrapure water that they used in their experiments, minimising the risk of adding contaminants that might affect their results.

A Simple and Robust Technique

This study demonstrates the usefulness of a new mass spectrometry approach for qualitative toxicological screening applied to hair analysis in a routine context. The results show that is possible to obtain sensitive and reliable information using the procedure, which was confirmed using a validated testing method.

The accuracy of this analytical tool was further verified by analysing test samples that contained not only traditional narcotics but also some of the so-called new psychoactive substances. The system also proved to be very robust, showing no need for any repair even after as many as 5000 sample injections. The new procedure could provide forensic laboratories with a simple, robust high–throughput alternative to antibody-based tests for the preliminary broad toxicological screening of hair samples.

Why Choose ELGA LabWater?

At ELGA LabWater, our expert engineers, chemists and scientists are at the forefront of technological innovation. They continue to introduce game-changing features to the lab water market. 

 

Reference:

1. Musile. G. et al. A simple and robust method for broad range screening of hair samples for drugs of abuse using a high–throughput UHPLC–Ion Trap MS instrument. Journal of Chromatography B 2020; 1152:122263.

 

Dr Alison Halliday

After completing an undergraduate degree in Biochemistry & Genetics at Sheffield University, Alison was awarded a PhD in Human Molecular Genetics at the University of Newcastle. She carried out five years as a Senior Postdoctoral Research Fellow at UCL, investigating the genes involved in childhood obesity syndrome. Moving into science communications, she spent ten years at Cancer Research UK engaging the public about the charity’s work. She now specialises in writing about research across the life sciences, medicine and health.

Quest Download

PURELAB Quest

The only purifier on the market that dispenses all 3 types of science ready water from a compact, economical and easy to use system!

             Click Here To Find Out More

 

  • Enquiry
  • Consigue una cotización
  • Reserve una demo
  • Encuentre un socio aprobado

Enquiry

Please check this to confirm that you have read our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.

Consigue una cotización

Please check this to confirm that you have read our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.

Reserve una demo

Please check this to confirm that you have read our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.

Call us

Can't find what you are looking for?

Support Number
+44 (0)20 3567 7300
United Kingdom Sales
+44 (0)1628 879 704
United States of America Sales
+1 877-315-3542
France Sales
+33 1 40 83 65 00
China Sales
+86 400-616-8882

 

Sede central de ELGA LabWater

Lane End Business Park
Lane End, High Wycombe
HP14 3BY
Reino Unido
Tel.: +44 (0) 203 567 7300
F: +44 (0) 203 567 7205

Los especialistas en agua ultrapura

  • Soporte y servicios
  • Eventos

Casos prácticos

  • Abbott Diagnostics
  • Diagnóstico médico de DASA
  • Instituto Médico NeoDIN
  • Fundación del NHS de North Staffordshire
  • Escuela técnica de Olsberg

Recursos

  • Obtenga más información sobre el agua ultrapura
  • Manuales e informes técnicos
  • Tecnologías de purificación
  • Aplicaciones
  • Impurezas en el agua

Blogs

  • Latest Blog
  • Water Purity - Different Types of Pure Water
  • What is Clinical Laboratory Reagent Water (CLSI)?
  • What is Total Organic Carbon (TOC)?
  • Idioma
    • Deutsch
    • English
    • Español
    • Français
    • Italiano
    • Português
    • 日本語
    • 中文
  • Otros sitios de Veolia
    • Veolia
    • Veolia Fondation
    • Veolia Water Technologies

© VWS (UK) Ltd. comercializado como ELGA LabWater.2021-Todos los derechos reservados.
ELGA es la marca mundial de agua de laboratorio de Veolia.

  • Política de privacidad
  • Términos y condiciones
  • Cumplimiento legal internacional
  • Patentes
  • Aviso legal
Elga Veolia
TOP

© 2017 ELGA Veolia