Drug detection breakthrough

Scientists from the University of Strathclyde and the CCLRC Rutherford Appleton Laboratory have been working together developing a new technique based on an advanced laser system to detect drugs.

The system produces a unique graphical fingerprint of the drugs in the form of a Raman spectrum.

Raman spectroscopy is a technique whereby laser photons are fired at a material and are scattered by the molecules in the material. The molecules lose, or gain, energy during this process, and the amount of energy lost or gained characterises, extremely accurately, the chemicals in the material. Together with other signals, this can provide a molecular signature – or unique ‘fingerprint’ of the molecule.

The breakthrough made by the developers of the new system overcomes problems caused by materials such as brick dust or talcum powder that are commonly used as bulking agents for diluting the drugs.

“The bulking agents can block out the data from the drugs with what is effectively a huge ‘flash’ of light that overwhelms the peaks identifying the drugs. A bit like a photograph that has been over-exposed with too much light flooding into the camera”, explains Professor Ewen Smith from the University of Strathclyde.