Fingerprint drug testing technology to be used in hospitals thanks to funding boost
New technology to detect drug use through people’s fingerprints has been awarded a share of a £39 million healthcare grant, announced by the Minister for Science and Universities, David Willetts.
Intelligent Fingerprinting Ltd, a spin-out company from the University of East Anglia, has been given £425,000 to improve drug screening services in hospital A&E and coroners’ departments.
The boost has been awarded by the Biomedical Catalyst, a programme of public funding designed to support growth in the UK life sciences sector and delivered by the Medical Research Council and the Technology Strategy Board.
Intelligent Fingerprinting has developed drug-screening technology that analyses the minute amounts of sweat present in a fingerprint to reveal an individual’s recent drug-use history. It provides rapid results in just 10 minutes using a portable hand-held device.
A £135,000 award will fund a project, in partnership with the University of Leicester, to research the feasibility of using this technology for rapid, non-invasive drug screening of hospital A&E patients on admission.
This simple test could save lives and improve patient care by ensuring patients receive appropriate treatment in emergencies. It could also reduce NHS costs by providing paramedics and hospital staff with a fast, reliable, non-invasive test.
Dr Paul Yates, business development manager for Intelligent Fingerprinting, said: “Many people admitted to A&E are under the influence of drugs – either legally prescribed medicines or drugs of abuse. But in an emergency situation clinicians may be unaware of a patient’s medical or drug-use history.
“Without this knowledge there is a risk that medical staff will administer treatment which could be harmful, or even fatal. This situation is made worse if the patient is confused or unable to speak, or elderly and suffering with a condition that affects memory.
“Our technique for detecting the presence of drugs in a person’s bloodstream by analysing a simple fingerprint could help doctors to make better informed decisions about appropriate treatments.”
The funding will be used to support the development of the handheld fingerprint testing device and to demonstrate its feasibility for use by ambulance paramedics in accident and emergency situations and at A&E admission.
A second £290,000 award, announced by Willets yesterday, will fund a study in conjunction with coroners to trial non-invasive drug testing of the deceased.
Dr Yates said: “It is sometimes necessary to carry out a drug screen to establish how someone has died. This can be a time-consuming and costly process.
“By working with coroners, we will test the potential of using Intelligent FingerprintingTM as a tool to help determine a possible cause of death more quickly and cost effectively.”
Intelligent Fingerprinting was one of 32 projects to receive a share of £39 million in funding from the government-backed Biomedical Catalyst. The awards were made to accelerate the development of innovative solutions to healthcare challenges.
“Our funding success confirms the potential importance of developing a non-invasive and rapid drug screening technique which can be used at the point of care,” said Dr Yates.
“Securing Biomedical Catalyst funding for these two important projects is a significant step towards further development of our drug screening technology and supports the company’s recent growth driven by backing from international investors.”
About Intelligent Fingerprinting
Intelligent Fingerprinting’s unique fingerprint-based portable Drug Screening System is set to revolutionise the way drug screening is carried out across a range of sectors. The distinctive Intelligent Fingerprinting technology, which works by analysing sweat from a fingerprint sample, enables non-invasive, cost-effective screening for multiple drug groups in under 10 minutes.
Intelligent Fingerprinting has attracted worldwide interest in its technology from a wide range of drug-screening markets, including the criminal justice arena, drug rehabilitation centres, prisons and occupational health services. The technique has potential for many other uses, including healthcare diagnostics and homeland security applications.
The company’s ground-breaking technology detects drug use by analysing chemicals, known as metabolites, contained in the minute traces of sweat found in a fingerprint. (Metabolites are chemicals produced by the body as a result of normal metabolic processes.) The Intelligent Fingerprinting Drug Screening System looks for the presence of specific drugs or drug metabolites in the test subject’s fingerprint sweat sample and, if detected, identifies which drugs have been consumed.
Since 2012, Intelligent Fingerprinting has raised £11.23m in funding from a consortium of private UK- and US-based investors, as well as government funding for pilot studies within the UK’s National Health Service and coroners’ services.
Founded in 2007, Intelligent Fingerprinting is a spin-out company from the University of East Anglia (UEA). The company is based in Cambridge, England and currently employs 26 people.
