Evaluation and validation of a non-invasive (using latent fingerprints) drug screening device as a point-of-care tool for the detection of MDMA
Lead Research Organisation:
King's College London
Department Name: Analytical & Environmental Sciences
Abstract
Latent Fingerprints (LFP) have been used to detect drugs and their metabolites using a series of techniques including immunoassays and mass spectrometry. LFP can be composed of eccrine and sebaceous sweat. MDMA has a basic pKa of 9.9 which has allowed it to be identified in sweat but its presence in LFP will be explored in this thesis. Testing LFP samples via GC-MS and lateral flow assays will be used to test this aim. The latter will also test the suitability of using an MDMA specific point-of-care test and will be done through validation processes at festivals. Point-of-care tests, a type of screening test, can carry out quick, non-invasive analysis and are useful for LFP as samples don't require any pre-treatment. This type of test is attractive because it is non-invasive and doesn't require trained staff to carry out sample collection. GC-MS will act as a confirmation method and an extraction method will be designed in order to confirm MDMA's presence in LFP.
If LFP are to be used as a biological matrix for drug detection, factors that influence the amount of LFP deposited need to be understood. This forms a second thesis aim. The Ridgeway will be used to explore different grooming techniques, climates and sampling methods. This tool quantifies the amount of LFP deposited immediately which is crucial as this is the stage the point-of-care test analyses the sample. Most techniques used currently quantify at later stages or requires specialised equipment. The Ridgeway, designed by Intelligent Fingerprinting Ltd, quantifies samples at deposition. This will be used to test the possible influential factors to optimise a standard procedure of LFP collection for the use in a point-of-care test. In addition to this, the Ridgeway's mechanism of action will also be explored to understand how it relates to the amount of LFP deposited. This will be done through comparing different parameters to the Ridgeway score produced by samples
If LFP are to be used as a biological matrix for drug detection, factors that influence the amount of LFP deposited need to be understood. This forms a second thesis aim. The Ridgeway will be used to explore different grooming techniques, climates and sampling methods. This tool quantifies the amount of LFP deposited immediately which is crucial as this is the stage the point-of-care test analyses the sample. Most techniques used currently quantify at later stages or requires specialised equipment. The Ridgeway, designed by Intelligent Fingerprinting Ltd, quantifies samples at deposition. This will be used to test the possible influential factors to optimise a standard procedure of LFP collection for the use in a point-of-care test. In addition to this, the Ridgeway's mechanism of action will also be explored to understand how it relates to the amount of LFP deposited. This will be done through comparing different parameters to the Ridgeway score produced by samples
People |
ORCID iD |
| Kim Wolff (Primary Supervisor) | |
| Caroline Pollard (Student) |
Studentship Projects
| Project Reference | Relationship | Related To | Start | End | Student Name |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BB/M015572/1 | 01/10/2015 | 30/09/2019 | |||
| 2199751 | Studentship | BB/M015572/1 | 01/09/2016 | 31/08/2020 | Caroline Pollard |
| Description | A sensitive point-of-care test has been designed in order to detect MDMA via a latent fingerprint. The purpose of this test is to screen sweat deposited via a fingerprint for MDMA, the active component of ecstasy. Using this biological matrix is novel but has been shown to contain drugs and their metabolites. It is attractive to use because it can be collected quickly and non-invasively. Analysing latent fingerprints via a point-of-care test produces a quick screening test which would allow a fast turnaround of results. An excellent binding pair, antibody and its antigen, where identified using initial plate immunoassays and biacore. The latter focused on calculating the binding kinetics of the binding pair which showed quick association and very slow dissociation. This is optimal for this type of point-of-care testing as it would encourage a fast result which is stable long enough to read the results. Binding between the antibody and antigen would be shown using fluorescence. The number of fluorescent molecules bound to the antibody was also optimised to ensure the highest amount of signal was seen with no quenching (the phenomenon of signal reduction when a large number of fluorescent molecules are in close proximity to one another). Additionally, using a novel tool called the Ridgeway (Intelligent Fingerprinting Ltd) a method has been optimised for the collection of latent fingerprint samples for this purpose. Currently studies looking at latent fingerprints focus on how to produce comparable samples for their main purpose of identifying individuals. However, it unknown on how to produce comparable samples for point-of-care testing which the main aim to produce a high quantity of sample. Key factors that have been identified include: consistent deposition pressure and surface are vital, deposition of 10 cumulative latent fingerprints produces a significantly higher sample quantity than a single sample, different environmental climates do not affect the amount of sample deposited. Additionally, to collect eccrine only latent fingerprints the use of carex soap consistently removed external contaminants the most with the wearing of non-powdered nitrite gloves encouraging eccrine sweat re-accumulation. The collection of these samples will prove consumption rather than contamination. |
| Exploitation Route | The main way is to try and test the point-of-care test in different situations to firstly understand whether the test designed is sensitive enough as well as the feasibility of implementing this type of testing. Previous studies by our collaborators have shown that a point-of-care test using this technology but for other drugs has been successfully applied at the coroners office however applying it to festivals or roadside testing would be hugely beneficial also. In addition, the optimised sampling method should be testing. |
| Sectors | Healthcare,Government, Democracy and Justice,Pharmaceuticals and Medical Biotechnology,Security and Diplomacy |