Marijuana smoking point-of-care technology sample processor.[IBS 제공]
[헤럴드경제=구본혁 기자] In recent years, marijuana legalization is increasing in the United States and Europe. Therefore, it is also important to prevent its misuse and abuse. Driving within 3 to 4 hours of taking marijuana can lead to a situation similar to drunk driving. Therefore, in the case of marijuana smoking, the risk of accidents can be minimized through immediate detection and response at the site rather than a hospital diagnosis.
Research Fellow Hak-Ho Lee (Professor at Harvard Medical School) and Jin-Woo Cheon (Professor at Yonsei University), a research team at the Institute for Basic Science (IBS) Nanomedicine Research Center, developed a point-of-care diagnostic technology that accurately detects marijuana use within 5 minutes. By using a radial membrane and optical equipment, the sensitivity is improved and the time required is greatly reduced.
For marijuana testing, ‘lateral flow analysis (LFA)’ or ‘gas chromatometry-mass spectrometry (GC-MS)’ is mainly used. Although LFA is simple and fast, it has the disadvantage of very poor accuracy. On the other hand, GC-MS has high accuracy, but it takes several days to detect and is expensive.
To overcome this limitation, the research team developed ‘Marijuana Smoking Point-of-Care Diagnostics (EPOCH)’, which combines a radial flow analysis method and a transmission type optical sensor design. EPOCH uses radial flow to detect small molecules in saliva in 3 minutes. In addition, a transmitted light detection algorithm that goes beyond the limits of existing reflected light analysis was also developed to enable ultra-sensitive detection of analytes. In addition, a series of technologies have been integrated into a small measuring device using a smartphone so that it can be conveniently used anytime, anywhere.
EPOCH can detect marijuana active substances within 5 minutes.
Marijuana detection process using marijuana smoking point-of-care technology.[IBS 제공]
The results of clinical trials to confirm whether or not marijuana actually smoked also proved the superiority of EPOCH. Of a total of 86 participants, 43 were classified into the marijuana-taking experimental group (3 in chewing form, 40 in the smoking form), and the remaining 43 into the marijuana-free control group (including 13 regular cigarette users). The experimental results showed 100% accuracy. Even though the 43 patients had different administration methods, doses, and time of saliva collection (within 10 minutes), they accurately judged whether to take the drug without error. All marijuana-free controls were negative.
Research Fellow Lee Hak-ho said, “This is an achievement that enables ultra-sensitive and rapid detection by overcoming the limitations of existing marijuana detection methods. said.
The results of this study were published in the international scientific journal ‘Science Translational Medicine’ on October 20.
nbgkoo@heraldcorp.com
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