NEW TEST DETECTS DRUG USE FROM A SINGLE FINGERPRINT
Research published in
the journal Analysthas demonstrated a new, non-invasive test that can
detect cocaine use through a simple fingerprint. For the first time, this new
fingerprint method can determine whether cocaine has been ingested, rather than
just touched.
Led by the University of Surrey, a team of researchers from
the Netherlands Forensic Institute (NL), the National Physical Laboratory (UK),
King's College London (UK) and Sheffield Hallam University (UK), used different
types of an analytical chemistry technique known as mass spectrometry to
analyse the fingerprints of patients attending drug treatment services. They
tested these prints against more commonly used saliva samples to determine
whether the two tests correlated. While previous fingerprint tests have
employed similar methods, they have only been able to show whether a person had
touched cocaine, and not whether they have actually taken the drug.
"When someone has taken cocaine, they excrete traces of
benzoylecgonine and methylecgonine as they metabolise the drug, and these
chemical indicators are present in fingerprint residue," said lead author
Dr Melanie Bailey from the University of Surrey. "For our part of the
investigations, we sprayed a beam of solvent onto the fingerprint slide (a
technique known as Desorption Electrospray Ionisation, or DESI) to determine if
these substances were present. DESI has been used for a number of forensic
applications, but no other studies have shown it to demonstrate drug use."
Researchers believe that the applications for this test
could be far-reaching. Drug testing is used routinely by probation services,
prisons, courts and other law enforcement agencies. However, traditional
testing methods have limitations. For example, blood testing requires trained
staff and there are privacy concerns about urine testing. Where bodily fluids
are tested, there can be biological hazards and often a requirement for
particular storage and disposal methods. Often these tests also require
analysis off-site.
"The beauty of this method is that, not only is it
non-invasive and more hygienic than testing blood or saliva, it can't be
faked," added Dr Bailey. "By the very nature of the test, the
identity of the subject is captured within the fingerprint ridge detail
itself."
It is anticipated that this technology could see the
introduction of portable drug tests for law enforcement agencies to use within
the next decade.
"We are only bound by the size of the current
technology. Companies are already working on miniaturised mass spectrometers,
and in the future portable fingerprint drugs tests could be deployed. This will
help to protect the public and indeed provide a much safer test for drug
users," said Dr Bailey.
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