UCT presenting Workshop and Case Study Presentations at LTG (formerly London Toxicology Group) meeting in London, July 5

UCT is proud to announce its sponsorship of the United Kingdom’s LTG July 5th meeting.  LTG was founded in the 1970's in order to provide a forum for toxicologists around the United Kingdom to come together and discuss topics of interest regarding the field of forensic toxicology.  UCT maintains a significant presence for providing products and technical support for the forensic toxicology field.  As part of its sponsorship and commitment to the LTG and forensics in general, UCT’s Dr. Jeff Hackett will be offering our UCT SPE workshop as well as presenting a series of case studies highlighting the analysis of designer drugs.  The studies being presented employ two of UCT flagship sorbents (Clean Screen DAU for the analysis of Methoxetamine, and Clean Screen THC for AM-2201).

Clean Screen THC

In the area of forensic toxicology, it is well recognized that the analysis of THC and its metabolites is one
of the most frequently requested and challenging to interpret sample tests; especially in urine. Non-psychoactive cannabidiol (CBD) has a wide range of therapeutic applications and may also influence
psychotropic smoked cannabis effects. A sensitive and specific analytical method for CBD in urine
was needed to define urinary CBD pharmacokinetics after controlled CBD administration, and to
confirm compliance with CBD medications such as Sativex. Few methods exist for the quantification
of CBD excretion in urine, and no data are available for phase II metabolism of CBD to CBD-
glucuronide or CBD-sulfate.

A recent report (Analytical and Bioanalytical Chemistry 2013 (405 15: 4679)) from the prestigious National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA, Baltimore MD) authored by Dr. Mateus M. Bergamaschi (working with Dr. Marilyn Huestis’ team at NIDA) optimized the hydrolysis of CBD glucuronide and/or -sulfate, and developed and validated a GC-MS method for urinary CBD quantification. The methodology employed UCT’s Clean Screen® THC (ZSTHC020) solid-phase extraction (SPE) to isolate and concentrate analytes prior to GC-MS. This solid phase sorbent is recognized by forensic toxicology laboratories around the globe as the premier material for THC related analysis.

This is the first method evaluating CBD hydrolysis in urine. The method proved robust, sensitive, and
specific for quantifying total CBD in human urine with a fast and simple sample prep that incorporates
Clean Screen® THC as a key component. This method can be applied for urinary CBD quantification
and further pharmacokinetics characterization following controlled CBD administration. The results
demonstrate UCT’s continued leadership in providing quality products for forensic analysis with its Clean
Screen® line of SPE sorbents.

Clean Screen® THC in International Cannabis Psychomotor Study

For the practitioners of forensic toxicology, the analysis of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and its metabolites is one of most requested tests around the world in drugs and driving related cases. By evaluating the concentrations of THC, its hydroxy and carboxy metabolites in samples of whole blood, the toxicologist is in the best position to offer medical examiners/coroners and enforcement agencies the most appropriate interpretation regarding the impairment of the operators of motor vehicles.

In an article published by Wendy M. Bosker and, Erin L. Karschner et al in PLOS ONE ( January 2013, 8(1): e53127), a team from the prestigious National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA, Baltimore MD)/ Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands studied the psychomotor functions of chronic daily cannabis users in abstinence. In this study, samples of blood, as well as oral fluid, were taken over a period of 23 days. The blood samples were treated so as to produce the plasma and were stored until analyzed. During the period of the study several psychomotor tests were performed upon the participants. By correlating the plasma cannabinoid concentrations with the psychomotor results, this team was able to understand the nature of cannabinoid impairment. UCT's SPE columns were employed to provide analytical results which were both reproducible and clean.

Clean Screen THC and Robotics

In the area of forensic toxicology, probably the most requested drug analysis is that of THC. Toxicologists around the world are faced with analyzing whole blood samples for the presence of THC and its metabolites: Hydroxy-THC and Carboxy-THC. In performing this analysis, they can not only offer quantifiable concentrations but also an interpretation into impairment with regards to operating a motor vehicle. In order to perform this type of testing in a timely fashion, analysts are being asked to go to lower and lower concentrations in less and less time. UCT has always been recognized as producing the finest SPE sorbent in the world with this goal in mind, Clean Screen THC (CSTHC).

In a study accepted for publication by Journal of Forensic Toxicology and Pharmacology in December 2012, Dr Jeff Hackett (in conjunction with a major crime laboratory) employed this sorbent on board a robotic SPE workstation (Janus) to process the extraction of THC and its metabolites from whole blood samples. The robotic workstation permitted analysts to conduct other tasks while the SPE operation
was performed. The extraction process allowed concentrations of down to 0.5 ng/ mL of all of the cannabinoids to be detected by LC-MS/MS, with recoveries greater than 95%, and minimal matrix effects. The time savings by the robotic workstation over manual preparation was significant. This report offers another exciting avenue for the premier THC SPE sorbent in the area of analytical forensic toxicology.

Clean Screen THC SPE and NIDA study into THC Tolerance

In the area of forensic toxicology, the effect of drugs such as Cannabis on the psychomotor skills of humans is a question faced by many testifying analysts. In order to offer an interpretation, analysts rely not only on their own findings, but on data obtained and published from sources of the highest integrity. The toxicology laboratories at NIDA (The National Institute on Drug Abuse) are acclaimed as one of the worlds centers of excellence when it comes to the study of THC and its metabolites and human performance. At NIDA, Baltimore, Maryland, USA, analysts employed UCT Inc. Solid Phase Extraction (SPE) columns for extracting THC and the related metabolites (THC-OH, and THC-COOH) from plasma samples.

This was demonstrated in a recently published report "Tolerance to Effects of High-Dose Oral D9-Tetrahydrocannabinol and Plasma Cannabinoid Concentrations in Male Daily Cannabis Smokers" in Journal of Analytical Toxicology by David A.Gorelick et al (from the team of Dr. Marilyn Huestis). This group used UCTs ZSTHC020 SPE column to study the plasma concentrations of these compounds after high dose ingestions. The Clean Screen THC sorbent has also been employed by many forensic toxicology laboratories around the globe when clean extractions, high recoveries and high reproducibility are desired.

Highlights from SOFT 2012

At this years meeting of the Society of Forensic Toxicologists (SOFT) in Boston USA, UCT SPE products were shown for their high quality and efficiency over a wide range of projects. In a presentation given by Caroline Betit (Laurentian University Ontario,Canada), UCT Clean Screen DAU (CSDAU) was demonstrated in the extraction andanalysis of Pentobarbital in decomposed bone samples using GC-MS. Decomposed samples are always difficult for forensic toxicologists to analyze, and a veryclean extract (as produced by the Clean Screen DAU) is valuable in not only identifying drugs but also in quantifying the results.

The analysis of THC and its metabolites is a subject close to the heart of many forensic toxicologists charged with testing samples and interpreting the results, it is very important that samples can be extracted with high efficiency and reproducibility. In a presentation given by Dr. Gary Milman (NIDA, Baltimore, USA), UCT's StyreScreen THC (SSTHC) was shown to fill the need of high efficiency and reproducibility when analyzing samples of not only smoked cannabis but also synthetic cannabis in a clinical study at NIDA. The SSTHC was able to extract Dronabinol as well as THC, THC-OH, and Carboxy-THC from plasma samples using 2dimensional GC-MS.

In the area of post mortem toxicology, the Clean Screen DAU is world renowned for itsability to extract a wide and diverse range of compounds. Among this widerange, the Opiate class of drugs is no stranger to forensic toxicologists, in two presentations from Cuyahoga County Regional Forensic Science Laboratory (Ohio, USA), Claire Kaspar showed how the CSDAU could be used in the analysis of opiates especially heroin in post mortem cases. Her analysis centered on the determination of opiates in brain tissues as well as post mortem blood samples. The presentations showed off the power of the CSDAU in producing very clean extracts from very difficult matrices  In an independent  study undertaken by the Orange County Crime Laboratory (California, USA), Dani Mata demonstrated that the CSDAU in an automated setting can be used to combine 4 separate opiate analyses into 1 single procedure which not only increases productivity, but also efficiency in terms of instrumental time.  The presentation also showed the power of Solid Phase Extraction over Liquid-Liquid Extraction in the toxicology laboratory.