World’s First Portable Fingerprint Drug Test Launched

By LabMedica International staff writers
Posted on 13 Sep 2017
The world’s first portable fingerprint-based drug screening system has been launched and is available now. The revolutionary system is hygienic and easy-to-use, collecting fingerprint samples in just five seconds and delivering simultaneous screening results in less than ten minutes for the four main drug groups: cocaine, opiates, cannabis and amphetamines.

Initial applications for the system include support for drug testing programs within drug rehabilitation, workplace and criminal justice arenas. Organizations using the new system, which have previously been reliant on collecting saliva and urine samples for drug screening, will benefit from the simplicity and improved hygiene of fingerprint drug tests. Those being tested appreciate the system’s dignified and non-invasive collection method.

Image: The fingerprint sample collection cartridge and the portable Reader 1000 analysis unit for drug screening (Photo courtesy of Intelligent Fingerprinting).

The screening system is being launched by Intelligent Fingerprinting (Cambridge, UK). The technology which consists of a fingerprint sample collection cartridge and the portable Reader 1000 analysis unit works by analyzing the tiny traces of sweat contained in a fingerprint to detect drugs and drug metabolites. The four drug groups detected by Drug Screening Cartridge cover the majority of mainstream drug misuse, ensuring that the company’s new drug testing system can support a broad range of drug screening requirements immediately. Collecting a fingerprint sweat sample on the cartridge takes just five seconds. The cartridge is then inserted into a reader that analyses the fingerprint sweat to provide a positive or negative result for each drug in the test in less than 10 minutes.

Jerry Walker, PhD, CEO of Intelligent Fingerprinting, said, “Our portable fingerprint drug test means that organizations can now screen for drug use almost anywhere at any time. It only takes a few seconds to collect a fingerprint for analysis, and our revolutionary technology offers a much more hygienic and dignified means of testing compared with conventional drug tests that require bio-hazardous samples such as urine or saliva. Following successful UK market trials and validation, it’s clear that fingerprint samples are not only much easier to collect and process, but also deliver when it comes to the rigorous analysis required for drug use diagnostics.”

Related Links:
Intelligent Fingerprinting


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