The popularity of CBD products has been on the rise following a federal move to legalize hemp. In an effort to regulate the sale of hemp-derived products in the United States, the government legalized CBD derived from hemp that contains no more than 0.3% THC by dry...
Author Highlights
Pierre Negri
Need a reliable, crowd-sourced HR-MS database for screening Novel Psychoactive Substances (NPS)?
The recent influx of novel psychoactive substances (NPS) into the recreational drug market has posed a serious burden to public health. The availability of these substances through the Internet has contributed to the widespread of NPS globally, raising great concern...
Looking for an educational podcast on forensic toxicology?
Listen to the Toxpod, an informative podcast about the many facets of the field of forensic toxicology created by Tim Scott and Peter Stockham, two forensic toxicologists working for the South Australian government. Produced by Forensic Science South Australia and the...
Stay informed on the latest novel psychoactive substances (NPS) flooding the US drug market
Each year, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Special Testing and Research Laboratory publishes an Emerging Threat Report. The data contained in the report is updated quarterly and represents a snapshot of the drug evidence seized and analyzed by the DEA in the...
Analysis of chiral amphetamines using differential mobility separation (DMS)
Many compounds are challenging to analyze because they are isomers (have the same m/z) and also sometimes have the same HPLC retention time. And to make it even more complicated, sometimes there are two chiral forms that have different functions in biology, making it...
Separating cyclosporin isomers using differential mobility separation (DMS)
Cyclosporin A (CsA) has been a very successful immunosuppressant for preventing organ transplant rejection. It is a large cyclic peptide (11 residues, ~1200 Da) and there are numerous modifications of this drug, some of which are isomers. The challenge of analyzing...
Innovation that’s blasting through limitations in explosive detection
Mass spectrometry’s important role in identifying explosives The need for rapid explosive detection is now an unfortunate reality. The remit is multifaceted. The first is for preventative purposes, to protect us from any threat to life. The second is in the...
Keep up with fentanyl and its analogs: Failure to do so is not an option.
Fentanyl is one of the most well-known synthetic opioids that has been in the spotlight lately—and not for good reasons. The World Drug Report 2019 reveals that there have been more than 47,000 opioid overdose deaths in the United States in 2017. This is an increase...
Mass spectrometry as a forensic science tool in 2020
There’s no doubt about it: forensics is at the front line of the criminal justice system. It’s where analytical chemistry has the power to fight crimes. It’s fascinating! But what excites me is how quickly things change and the speed of innovation. Just think about...
Take 5 with SCIEX Global Technical Marketing’s Pierre Negri
With the rise of Novel Psychoactive Substances (NPS), or designer drugs, in the past decade, forensic toxicologists are being tested like never before. It seems like as soon as one analog is identified, another is synthesized. These new chemicals share structures with...