Evaluation and validation of a non-invasive (using latent fingerprints) drug screening device as a point-of-care tool for the detection of MDMA

潜在指纹(LFP)已被用于检测药物及其代谢物，使用了一系列技术，包括免疫分析和质谱学。LFP可由小汗腺和皮脂腺汗液组成。MDMA的基本pKa为9.9，这使得它可以在汗液中被识别，但它在LFP中的存在将在本文中进行探索。通过GC-MS和横向流动分析对LFP样品进行测试将用于测试这一目标。后者还将测试使用MDMA特定护理点测试的适用性，并将在节日期间通过验证程序进行测试。护理点测试是一种筛查测试，可以进行快速、非侵入性的分析，由于样本不需要任何前处理，因此对LFP很有用。这种检测很有吸引力，因为它是非侵入性的，不需要训练有素的工作人员进行样本采集。GC-MS将作为确认方法，并将设计一种提取方法来确认LFP中是否存在MDMA。如果要将LFP用作药物检测的生物基质，则需要了解影响LFP沉积量的因素。这形成了第二个论文目标。Ridgeway将被用来探索不同的梳理技术、气候和采样方法。该工具量化了立即沉积的LFP的量，这是至关重要的，因为这是护理点测试分析样本的阶段。目前使用的大多数技术都是在后期阶段进行量化，或者需要专门的设备。Ridgeway由智能指纹有限公司设计，在沉积时对样本进行量化。这将被用来测试可能的影响因素，以优化用于护理点测试的LFP收集的标准程序。此外，还将探讨Ridgeway的作用机制，以了解它与LFP沉淀量的关系。这将通过将不同的参数与样本产生的Ridgeway分数进行比较来完成

Latent Fingerprints (LFP) have been used to detect drugs and their metabolites using a series of techniques including immunoassays and mass spectrometry. LFP can be composed of eccrine and sebaceous sweat. MDMA has a basic pKa of 9.9 which has allowed it to be identified in sweat but its presence in LFP will be explored in this thesis. Testing LFP samples via GC-MS and lateral flow assays will be used to test this aim. The latter will also test the suitability of using an MDMA specific point-of-care test and will be done through validation processes at festivals. Point-of-care tests, a type of screening test, can carry out quick, non-invasive analysis and are useful for LFP as samples don't require any pre-treatment. This type of test is attractive because it is non-invasive and doesn't require trained staff to carry out sample collection. GC-MS will act as a confirmation method and an extraction method will be designed in order to confirm MDMA's presence in LFP. If LFP are to be used as a biological matrix for drug detection, factors that influence the amount of LFP deposited need to be understood. This forms a second thesis aim. The Ridgeway will be used to explore different grooming techniques, climates and sampling methods. This tool quantifies the amount of LFP deposited immediately which is crucial as this is the stage the point-of-care test analyses the sample. Most techniques used currently quantify at later stages or requires specialised equipment. The Ridgeway, designed by Intelligent Fingerprinting Ltd, quantifies samples at deposition. This will be used to test the possible influential factors to optimise a standard procedure of LFP collection for the use in a point-of-care test. In addition to this, the Ridgeway's mechanism of action will also be explored to understand how it relates to the amount of LFP deposited. This will be done through comparing different parameters to the Ridgeway score produced by samples