Novel drug sensor platform - bringing new technology closer to market

在2010-2011年间，英国边境管理局(UKBA)缴获了1200多件A类毒品，总重达3000公斤。仅在今年8月，在一艘游艇上的一次缉毒行动中就查获了创纪录的1.2吨可卡因--对于一次缉毒来说，这是一个异常高的数字，但这是英国禁毒署希望保持的成功水平。目前市场上有一系列毒品检测设备，但每种设备都有其优点和局限性，包括嗅探犬，它通常被认为是最有效和最敏感的毒品检测手段之一。现有技术的局限性包括高水平的错误警报，与嗅探犬相比灵敏度低，以及使用一次性消耗品的成本较高。特别是关于狗，高昂的维护成本，以及狗疲倦或困惑的本性，以及无法在法庭上充当证据，都是大问题。City的团队正在提议开发一个原型实时多药物传感检测系统来应对上述挑战，这是建立在最初的EPSRC项目的成功基础上的，在该项目中，成功地开发和评估了一种新型的、高灵敏度和选择性的基于光纤的便携式可卡因传感器，该传感器使用分子印迹聚合物(MIP)技术并结合荧光信号。内政部的演员在确定作为最终用户的这一新传感器技术开发及其相关新药物传感器开发的需求方面发挥了重要作用。他们与史密斯检测公司的顾问一起，正在制定这项提案的主要交付成果，以确保它产生一个商业上强大的产品。最初，该设备将被开发用于检测隐藏在过境车辆或集装箱中难以到达的区域的毒品，目前经常使用嗅探犬来定位非法物质。然而，底层技术能够满足更广泛的应用。这笔后续资金对该团队将这项技术开发到可以授权给现有制造商的阶段至关重要，该制造商目前向世界各地的边境安全机构提供毒品检测设备。城市的技术转移团队将是该项目不可或缺的一部分，同时开展市场验证工作，并不断向学术团队反馈。这一情报将为产品开发过程提供建议。该团队还将与内部孵化器合作，确定进入市场的额外或替代途径是否包括创建一家能够吸引种子投资的剥离公司。

In the year 2010 - 2011 the UK Border Agency (UKBA) made over 1,200 individual seizures of Class-A drugs totalling 3,000kg. In August of this year alone a record-setting 1.2 tons of cocaine was seized in one drug bust aboard a pleasure boat - an unusually high amount for one bust but a level of success the UKBA wants to maintain.There is a range of drug detection equipment on the market today, but each has its strengths and limitations, including sniffer dogs, which are often considered one of the most efficient and highly sensitive means for drug detection. The limitations of existing technologies include high levels of false alarms, low levels of sensitivity compared to sniffer dogs and high cost using disposable consumables. Specifically with regards to dogs, high upkeep cost and a dog's nature of getting tired or confused, and inability to act as evidence in a court of law, are all big issues. The team at City is proposing to develop a prototype real-time multi-drug sensing detection system to address the above challenge and this builds upon the success of the initial EPSRC project, where a novel, highly sensitive and selective optical fibre-based portable cocaine sensor, using the molecularly imprinting polymer (MIP) technique coupled with fluorescence signalling, has been successfully developed and evaluated. The Home Office CAST members were instrumental in identifying the need as an end-user for this new sensor technology exploitation and its associated new drug sensor development. They, together with advisors from Smiths Detection, are shaping the main deliverables of this proposal to ensure that it results in a commercially robust product. Initially the device will be developed to detect drugs concealed in hard-to-reach areas in vehicles or containers crossing borders, where currently sniffer dogs are frequently used to locate the illegal substance. However, the underlying technology is capable of meeting a much wider range of applications. This follow-on funding is vital for the team to develop the technology to a stage that it can be licensed to an existing manufacturer, currently supplying drug detection devices to the Border Security Agencies around the world. City's technology transfer team will be an integral part of this project, carrying out simultaneous market validation exercises and feeding back to the academic team on a continual basis. This intelligence will advise the product development process. The team will also work with the in-house Incubator to establish whether an additional or alternative route to market could involve creating a spin-out company capable of attracting seed investment.