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DOE News Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 18, 2002

NEWS MEDIA CONTACTS:
Kathleen Gatens, (208) 525-1058, kzc@inel.gov.
Kendall Morgan, (208) 526-3176, morgkk@inel.gov

INEEL scientists create drug test that reveals taker's identity

Scientists Vicki Thompson and Diane Key at the U.S. Department of Energy's Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory, in collaboration with Miragen, Inc., have developed a new method of drug detection that promises to crack down on cheaters.

With just a few drops of saliva, the method signals drug test results along with the donor's identity. Their initial findings were reported in the June 2002 publication of the Office of the National Drug Control Policy's Conference Proceedings, "Counterdrug Research and Development: Technologies for the Next Decade."

The research may provide law enforcement a new weapon to combat crime and an investigative tool that may enhance national security.

In environments such as correctional facilities, where inmates are routinely tested, cheating can be a big problem, Thompson said. "But with saliva, they won't be able to do that as easily," she added.

The key ingredient in their method is a test strip that highlights individual-specific auto-antibodies--a barcode like pattern of proteins unique to each person. "Everyone has them," Thompson said. "And even identical twins have different patterns."  What's more, the antibody profiling technique delivers the undeniable mark of an individual in just a few simple steps. "In fact, it's so easy, I've had fifth-graders do it," Thompson added.

In contrast to Thompson's test, traditional methods of drug testing generally seek out traces of drugs in urine. That means donors are often afforded the privacy of a bathroom, a factor that can give undue opportunity for sample manipulation or substitution.

In recent years, an entire drug test evasion industry has sprung up, making the prospects even simpler for would-be test fakers. "Just do a Web search for drug testing and page after page of products pop up that can be added to urine or that you can drink--and the test comes out clean," Thompson said.

Cheaters can order special concoctions promising to flush all unwanted toxins in an hour for as little as $20.  Other companies offer drug-free substitution urine for a mere $35, handily packaged for ease of carrying and delivery at "proper submission temperature."

Not only does the INEEL team's saliva-based test make doctoring test results difficult,  even if a decoy sample got in the mix, it wouldn't pass muster. The protein bar code would reveal the mismatch when compared with the taker's unique antibody "fingerprint," and the fraudulent sample could be eliminated in a matter of hours.

The profiling test--developed for medical use by the Irvine, California-based biotechnology company, Miragen, Inc., in 1995--relies on proteins embedded on a strip that recognize and hang on to antibodies present in all body fluids. A series of chemical washes stains the bound proteins, highlighting an array of clear, blue bands.

The INEEL group first explored the technology as a forensic tool.  First, they looked to the test as an alternative to DNA-based methods of matching suspects to evidence gathered at crime scenes.

The profiling test proved to be an incredibly accurate indicator of identity, even under extremely adverse conditions, according to the team's earlier work. They were able to match adulterated blood samples - mixed with gasoline, urine, animal blood and even other human samples, conditions mimicking those often found at crime scenes - to a suspect 91 percent of the time.

Although there are a large number of bands in the antibody ladder, in most cases, identities can be assigned at a glance because of distinctive spots characteristic of an individual--a thick band here or a missing one there, Thompson said. And the test costs less, takes less time, and requires less technical know-how than DNA-based methods--not to mention its versatility.  

"The test can literally be performed in the back of a pickup truck and still work," Thompson said.

While the test has not yet been approved for admission in court, the team's success led Thompson to pursue other potential law-enforcement applications for the identity screen.

To link the antibody test to one able to detect traces of drugs, the INEEL scientists first adapted Miragen's method for blood screening for use with saliva.  Four volunteers then ate sweets--including butterscotch, lemon candy and chocolate--to ensure these common indulgences didn't mar the ID's accuracy.  Next, they partook of alcohol, coffee, and even brushed their teeth just before handing over a sample.

The antibody test held true. The culinary splurging had no effect on the outcome of the identity screen.

Add antibodies sensitive to two illegal drugs--cocaine and methamphetamine--into the mix, and a new drug test was born.  Further tinkering will be required to perfect the method, but so far, the future looks bright for drug-test profiling.

Despite its many benefits, the test does have one drawback - the time it takes to process. Though speedier than DNA-based identity methods, the antibody profile technique is lengthy compared to drug-testing methods that lack an identity screen.  The new drug test takes five hours to generate compared to five minutes for urine-based methods.

Still, the reaction from law enforcement officers has been overwhelmingly positive so far, Thompson said.  The added identity information outweighs the cost in time.

And there may be ways around the additional hours.

"I'd love to make it faster," Thompson said.  "Physically capturing the antibodies on the strips takes time, but if we could miniaturize things with chip technology, we could get the testing time down to as little as ten or fifteen minutes."

The true test of their method is yet to come.  Although no final plans have been made, Thompson hopes to bring the identity-drug screen to a real-world situation, trying it out on inmates and comparing the results to those of the standard method.  The INEEL is a science-based applied engineering national laboratory dedicated to supporting the DOE's missions in environment, energy, science and national security. The INEEL is operated for the DOE by Bechtel BWXT Idaho, LLC.

-INEEL-

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