Health Canada (Commonwealth Union) – Scientists at the University of British Columbia (UBC) and the BC Provincial Toxicology Centre (BCPTC) have devised a more effective method for identifying the presence of emerging ‘designer drugs’ within the community. Their findings, detailed in a recent publication in Analytical Chemistry, demonstrate the application of high-resolution mass spectrometry to analyze urine samples on a large scale. This advanced technique reveals molecules from novel designer drugs that may go unnoticed with traditional testing methods.
Researchers of the study point out that this innovative approach plays a crucial role in promoting public health and safety by facilitating the rapid identification of new substances. Such timely detection has the potential to save lives and guide prompt clinical responses during drug-related emergencies.
“We were able to detect a number of drugs circulating in B.C. that were not being detected by existing tests. Any time such drugs emerge locally, that’s important information for clinicians and public health officials to have,” explained Dr. Michael Skinnider, the lead author of the study who carried out the study as an MD/PhD student at UBC and is presently an assistant professor at Princeton University.
In the unregulated market of the past two decades, designer drugs have seen a surge in proliferation. These substances, often modified versions of existing drugs, possess similar effects while incorporating just enough structural changes to circumvent existing drug laws. Notably, these drugs bypass proper testing and regulation, posing significant risks, including poisoning and potential fatality for users as indicated by researchers of the study.
Since 2020, the BC Provincial Toxicology Centre (BCPTC) at the BC Centre for Disease Control (BCCDC) has identified over 20 different drugs of concern via monitoring.
Determining the presence of a specific drug in a sample involves the laboratory’s knowledge of what to look for and the acquisition of the drug in synthetic form, known as the “reference standard.” This reference standard is the basis for creating a reliable laboratory test that leaves no room for doubt regarding the substance’s presence.
However, obtaining reference standards can be a challenging task. In some cases, the drugs are so new that a reference standard does not yet exist. Due to the expense and impracticality of sourcing numerous reference standards for drugs that may or may not appear in the community, laboratories often resort to making educated guesses about which ones to acquire.
The UBC/BCPTC study aimed to discover a more effective approach to prioritize the acquisition of reference standards, addressing the challenges posed by the dynamic landscape of designer drugs in the community.
In this endeavor, the researchers utilized high-resolution mass spectrometry to reevaluate over 12,000 urine samples collected in British Columbia from 2019 to 2022. Researchers illustrated it, as if we envision a urine sample as a jigsaw puzzle with its pieces scattered in molecular form, mass spectrometry plays the role of precisely determining the weight and shape of each puzzle piece. This precision aids researchers in identifying combinations of pieces that are characteristic of illicit drugs.
By comparing their data with information published by laboratories worldwide on new drug molecules found in their samples, a lab in British Columbia can ascertain which drugs are likely emerging locally. While not providing definitive confirmation, this comparative analysis guides the lab toward the appropriate reference standards for more comprehensive testing.
The retrospective analysis of British Columbia samples at the BC Provincial Toxicology Centre (BCPTC) revealed previously unidentified synthetic opioids, benzodiazepines, and stimulants that had escaped detection during the initial screening. Notably, fluorofentanyl, a modified version of fentanyl, was absent from samples before mid-2022 but exhibited a significant increase in the final months of the study, suggesting a sudden introduction to the local drug supply.
Several other drugs also displayed distinct peaks during the two-year study period.
