Academic Level at Time of Presentation
Senior
Major
Chemistry
Minor
Biology
List all Project Mentors & Advisor(s)
Bikram Subedi
Presentation Format
Poster Presentation
Abstract/Description
Unregulated new psychoactive substances (NPS) in “pure” or “preparation” forms are designed to mimic the effects of controlled substances, and are introduced and reintroduced in the market as a cheap substitute of established regulated drugs in quick succession to loophole the law enforcement efforts on combating drugs. For example, carfentanil, a synthetic opioid activates the opioid receptors similar to morphine but it is astoundingly potent compared to a typical drug of abuse (100 times more potent than fentanyl and 10,000 times more powerful than morphine). Based on the cost- and time-intensive forensic analysis, National Drug Early Warning System reported the a total of 632 identifications of NPS including 502 opioids/analgesics, 74 synthetic cannabinoids, 24 cathinone identifications in the second quarter of 2018 in the USA. The UPLC-MS/MS based analytical technique was developed capable of determining trace level NPS in wastewater. The cost-effective, comprehensive, and near-real-time approach, wastewater-based epidemiology, was used for the first time in the U.S. to determine the prevalence of 43 NPS in four U.S. communities. Methcathinone, 5-IT, MAB-CHMINACA, 4-methylamphetamine, 1-(3-chlorophenyl) piperazine (mCPP), 4-methyl pentedrone, 2-methyl-4’(methylthio)-2-morpholinopropiophenone, alpha-ethylaminohexanophenone, carfentanil, methoxyacetyl fentanyl, and valerylfentanyl were the most abundant NPS.
Fall Scholars Week 2019 Event
Other
Included in
Analytical Chemistry Commons, Community Health Commons, Environmental Chemistry Commons, Environmental Health and Protection Commons, Environmental Monitoring Commons, Psychiatric and Mental Health Commons, Substance Abuse and Addiction Commons
Near Real-time Determination of the Prevalence of Cannabinoids, Cathinones, and Synthetic Opioids
Unregulated new psychoactive substances (NPS) in “pure” or “preparation” forms are designed to mimic the effects of controlled substances, and are introduced and reintroduced in the market as a cheap substitute of established regulated drugs in quick succession to loophole the law enforcement efforts on combating drugs. For example, carfentanil, a synthetic opioid activates the opioid receptors similar to morphine but it is astoundingly potent compared to a typical drug of abuse (100 times more potent than fentanyl and 10,000 times more powerful than morphine). Based on the cost- and time-intensive forensic analysis, National Drug Early Warning System reported the a total of 632 identifications of NPS including 502 opioids/analgesics, 74 synthetic cannabinoids, 24 cathinone identifications in the second quarter of 2018 in the USA. The UPLC-MS/MS based analytical technique was developed capable of determining trace level NPS in wastewater. The cost-effective, comprehensive, and near-real-time approach, wastewater-based epidemiology, was used for the first time in the U.S. to determine the prevalence of 43 NPS in four U.S. communities. Methcathinone, 5-IT, MAB-CHMINACA, 4-methylamphetamine, 1-(3-chlorophenyl) piperazine (mCPP), 4-methyl pentedrone, 2-methyl-4’(methylthio)-2-morpholinopropiophenone, alpha-ethylaminohexanophenone, carfentanil, methoxyacetyl fentanyl, and valerylfentanyl were the most abundant NPS.