Non-Invasive Drug Testing for Neonates Exposed to Drugs In Utero
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Evaluation of non-invasive drug screening using fingerprint/footprints in neonatal testing for opioid withdrawal syndrome in infants born to addicted mothers
IRAS ID
148597
Contact name
Kim Wolff
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Guy's & St Thomas' Foundation NHS Trust
Duration of Study in the UK
2 years, 0 months, 0 days
Research summary
The aim of this study is to determine whether we can use latent fingerprints collected from methadone maintained pregnant drug dependants and fingerprint/ footprints of babies to screen for drugs of abuse, and whether the results are comparable to drug screening of urine samples.
Hospitals currently use urine or oral fluid (saliva) to screen for drugs of abuse. However, this can be difficult to do in a new-born, it is time-consuming, and may cause discomfort. There is therefore a need for the introduction of a technique in healthcare for newborns of drug dependent mothers, which provides instant results and permits the detection of drugs in a non-intrusive way. This will aid the early diagnosis and treatment of neonatal abstinence syndrome.
The experimental part will require the collection of urine and fingerprint samples in subjects attending a drug treatment clinic for their methadone prescription and, once the mothers have given birth, we will also collect fingerprint and urine samples from their babies.
Laboratory-based assays on the detection of drugs (morphine, cocaine (BZE), THC, amphetamine) in fingerprints have been successful and we now need to collect samples from pregnant drug users and their babies to see if the fingerprint drug screening technology will work in the clinical setting. These results will be verified by collection and analysis of paired urine samples. If successful, a new and revolutionary non-invasive drug screening technology will become available at the point-of-care for this vulnerable population. This is important because current drug testing methods are intrusive as they require the collection of biological samples (such as blood, urine, oral fluid, sweat, and meconium) and may cause the subject discomfort and distress. Therefore, our technology will aim to alleviate the potential distress and discomfort that may be experienced by the subjects and deliver the drug test results in less than 10 minutes.
REC name
London - Bromley Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
15/LO/0493
Date of REC Opinion
26 Mar 2015
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion