DNA Aptamer Drug Sensors Instantly Detect Cocaine, Heroin and Fentanyl – Even When Combined With Other Drugs

Researchers have developed a new generation of high-performance DNA aptamers and highly accurate drug sensors for cocaine and other opioids. The sensors are drug specific and can detect trace amounts of fentanyl, heroin, and cocaine – even when these drugs are mixed with other drugs or with cutting agents and adulterants such as caffeine, sugar, or procaine.

Praedicare Leverages AI, Mathematical Models of Disease Progression and Mapping in World’s First In Silico Clinical Trial of Its Kind

The in silico trial demonstrated 2X the efficacy of the current treatment (>80% vs 39%); 3X shorter treatment time to cure (6 vs 18 months); 1 drug compared to a 3-drug combo for the standard of care; and preclinical results in shorter time than animal models.

A New Urine Test Could Help Curtail the Use of the Latest Synthetic Cannabinoids to Enter the Drug Scene

A first-of-its-kind study published today in AACC’s Clinical Chemistry journal shows that a novel drug test detects a new class of synthetic cannabinoids called OXIZIDs. This test could enable drug enforcement agencies to identify OXIZID users and could play a critical role in efforts to stop the spread of these drugs.

Experts to Discuss the Essential Efforts of Clinical Laboratories to Fight the Opioid Epidemic at the 2020 AACC Annual Scientific Meeting

The opioid epidemic has only gotten worse since the advent of COVID-19, with some areas in the U.S. reporting a 50% increase in drug overdoses due to the pandemic. With no end in sight to this public health crisis, scientific sessions during the virtual 2020 AACC Annual Scientific Meeting & Clinical Lab Expo will highlight the integral role of clinical laboratories in efforts to manage it, as well as the latest drug tests needed to do so.

Fentanyl Tops List of Drugs Found in Baltimore Overdose Patients

Fentanyl is not typically part of hospital tests for illicit drug use, however, a new University of Maryland study found after expanding testing that fentanyl, linked to most fatal overdoses in Maryland, tops the list of drugs detected in overdose patients at two Baltimore hospital ERs. The researchers suggest addition of fentanyl to routine drug tests.