Rapid Test Detects Drugs of Abuse in Fingerprint Samples

By LabMedica International staff writers
Posted on 22 Oct 2018

A rapid lateral flow assay accurately detects drugs of abuse in finger print samples from living or deceased individuals.

Investigators at the University of East Anglia (Norwich, UK) and the biotechnology company Intelligent Fingerprinting (Cambridge, United Kingdom) developed a fluorescence based lateral flow competition assay for the screening of four classes of drugs: delta9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), cocaine (through the detection of benzoylecgonine, BZE), opiates (through the detection of morphine, MOR) and amphetamine (AMP) present in the sweat of a fingerprint. This "Drug Screening Cartridge" was specifically developed for fingerprint sample collection and analysis.

Image: A rapid lateral flow drug test can detect four classes of drugs in traces of sweat found in fingerprints from both living and deceased individuals (Photo courtesy of Intelligent Fingerprinting).

In addition to testing samples from living individuals, the investigators worked with three coroners in the United Kingdom to test the ability of the Drug Screening Cartridge, together with its fluorescence reader, to detect drugs in the sweat of a fingerprint from deceased individuals. The presence of the drugs was confirmed using LC–MS-MS analysis of a second fingerprint sample collected simultaneously.

This fingerprint sample method had a collection time of just five seconds and a total analysis time of less than 10 minutes. Results revealed that there was sufficient sweat present on the fingertips to enable analysis and that the Drug Screening Cartridge could detect the presence, or absence, of each drug. Excellent correlation was achieved between the results obtained from the Drug Screening Cartridge and the LC–MS-MS analysis of the fingerprint samples obtained from 75 individuals. The accuracy of the results was: 99% for THC, 95% for BZE, 96% for MOR, and 93% for AMP. The results obtained using the Drug Screening Cartridge were also compared to toxicological analysis of blood and urine samples with good correlation. The accuracy of the results between the Drug Screening Cartridge and blood was: 96%, 92%, 88%, and 97% for THC, BZE, MOR, and AMP, respectively. The comparison with urine showed an accuracy ranging between 86% and 92%.

Senior author Dr. David Russell, emeritus professor of chemistry at the University of East Anglia, said, "Our study also showed how our technology is being used by coroners to assist in gaining early understanding of the possible cause of death, and to inform potential further post-mortem activities or quickly facilitate police investigations. We matched the coroners' drug test results obtained using our fingerprint drug screen with a second sample tested in laboratory conditions, achieving excellent correlation in terms of accuracy. We also compared our results with toxicological analysis of blood and urine samples, with a good correlation of results."

The study was published in the October 1, 2018, online edition of the Journal of Analytical Toxicology.

Related Links:
University of East Anglia
Intelligent Fingerprinting