Agilent Introduces Updated Designer Drug and Oral Fluid Compendiums

Agilent Technologies Inc. has introduced new application compendiums on designer drug testing and toxicology of oral fluids.

Also available is an expanded GC/MS Designer Drug Library. The only resource of its kind, this searchable library includes designer stimulants that are often marketed as "bath salts" as well as additional cannabinoid compounds.

In tandem with the release of these new resources, Agilent is sponsoring monthly webinars featuring industry experts who will discuss new LC/MS and MS applications for forensic detection and analysis of designer drugs and metabolites.

"Designer drugs-especially bath salts-continue to make headlines across the country," said Tom Gluodenis, Agilent's global marketing manager of Forensics and Toxicology.

Gluodenis continued, "The important resources we're introducing today, used in collaboration with our specialized GC/MS laboratory technologies, provide forensic practitioners, crime laboratories, and federal workplace drug-testing programs with cost-effective, end-to-end solutions for designer drug screening and analysis."

Designer drugs are formulated to get around existing definitions of illicit compounds. Once difficult to trace, these substances can now be quickly identified and analyzed using Agilent's GC/MS technologies.

Agilent's expanded application compendium, "Identification of Synthetic Cannabinoids in Herbal Incense Blends by GC/MS," contains information on 45 cannabinoids and describes how to facilitate rapid screening and identification of these marijuana-like compounds. A companion compendium, "Analysis of Designer Stimulants by GC/MS," describes the analysis of 30 stimulants.

Agilent developed these compendiums, and the expanded GC/MS Designer Drug Library, in collaboration with NMS Labs.

Screening oral fluid is an accurate and effective alternative to screening urine or blood. It provides many collection advantages, and samples can be more easily analyzed using highly sensitive enzyme immunoassays and LC-MS/MS instrumentation.

Agilent's updated oral fluid compendium, "Drugs and Metabolites in Oral Fluid: Immunoassay Screening and LC/MS/MS Confirmation and Quantification," is a comprehensive treatise on the detection of drugs of abuse in oral fluid, covering 100 drugs in 11 classes.

The compendium includes information on sample collection and preparation, immunoassay screening and LC/QQQ confirmation. It also reflects changes to the mandatory guidelines for Federal Workplace Drug Testing Programs, and contains protocols for all the newly recommended Schedule II prescription medications. Agilent developed the compendium in collaboration with Immunalysis Corp.

To download the application compendium "Drugs and Metabolites in Oral Fluid," visit Agilent's Forensics & Toxicology website.

Webinar Series for Forensic Practitioners

Throughout the year, Agilent will sponsor a monthly online educational series focusing on the analysis of designer drugs and drugs of abuse. Hosted by RTI International's online education service on www.ForensicEd.org, the webinars listed below will also be available for replay following the live events. Additional webinars will be announced at a later date.

Comprehensive Workflow for Screening and Confirmation of Drugs in Oral Fluids, now accessible for replay at Forensic Science Education: Dr. Christine Moore of Immunalysis Corp. discusses designer drug compendiums, oral fluids sample collection, preparation, drug extraction, immunoassay screening and LC/QQQ confirmation equipment.

LC/QQQ Screening for 300 Designer Drugs and Metabolites, Tuesday, Feb. 26 at 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. EST: Dr. Tony DiCaprio of Florida International University's-, Forensic Science Institute will describe current work focusing on the development of LC-QQQ-MS/MS-based methods for rapid screening of designer drugs in forensic analysis.

GC/MS and GC/QQQ Screening for 300 Designer Drugs and Metabolites, Thursday, April 18 at 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. EST: Dr. Jose Almirall, also of Florida International University's Forensic Science Institute, will focus on the expanded Designer Drug Library that FIU has developed in partnership with Agilent; discussion will also focus on the entire workflow for effective and rapid screening of designer drugs.

Webinar co-sponsor RTI International is the Center of Excellence for the United States National Institute of Justice. The upcoming webinars are part of RTI's specialized forensic education service, which provides online forensic science training and continuing education courses to practitioners in forensic science, law enforcement, medico-legal death investigation and forensic toxicology.