NPL is working in collaboration with King's College London and Mass Spec Analytical Ltd to help combat drug driving with repeatable drug tests.

NPL's mass spectrometer with saliva swab - the new
method will allow police officers to rapidly test for
illicit drugs

Conventional oral drug screening tests suffer from poor accuracy and specificity, and are only able to detect use of a single drug type.

Presently, screening for drug driving is carried out by doctors at police stations, which is expensive and time consuming.

The new method will analyse saliva swabs directly with mass spectrometry enabling the rapid and accurate testing of a range of drugs (such as cannabinoids, amphetamines, methadone, and opiates) by police officers, giving them the confidence to then decide whether or not to order a blood test.

The use of highly specific and flexible mass spectrometers will solve many current drug detection problems in oral fluid testing with the eventual aim of the project to develop a portable device that can be operated at the roadside, in a similar way to a breathalyser for alcohol.

Contact: Felicia Green

Find out more about NPL's work in Nanoscience and Healthcare