Drugs of abuse in blood - high-throughput measurements in a forensic lab

Measurements of drugs of abuse in blood in a forensic lab require highest reliablity with regard to identification and quantification of the compounds in question. After economical evaluation, the analytical setup of the forensic lab was completely rearranged, now processing up to 8000 blood samples each year including a multiple of different measurements.

Drug screening is no longer based on immunoassays lacking selectivity. It is now performed on LC/MS-Toxtyper systems directly providing quantification of five drugs as key compounds. Analysis of THC and further drugs such as neuroleptics and sedatives is carried out by LC/MS/MS.

Recently, a robotic system for sample preparation has been put into service transforming the laboratory process into a fully scalable application for high-throughput measurements.

Presenter: Christian Vidal (Chemistry Department, State Criminal Investigation Office of Lower Saxony, Hannover, Germany)