Summary

What is forensic toxicology? How does it differ from clinical toxicology? Is all drug testing forensic in nature? How are drug test results determined from a biological sample? What is the difference between drug screening and confirmation testing? Does it matter?

For many the analysis of drugs and drug metabolites in human matrices may be a mystery. This webinar aims to demystify the science and methodologies behind it. Participants will gain a deeper understanding of the various sub-disciplines of forensic toxicology, and the different ways drugs can be classified.

Principles of drug screening by enzyme immunoassay and drug confirmation by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) will be discussed. Efficient, automated, and economical drug screening is an important first step to evaluate the presence of drugs or drug classes in a specimen; while confirmation testing by a mass spectrometry-based technique such as LC-MS/MS or GC-MS is the definitive methodology for quantifying a specific analyte.

Learning Objectives

Join this webinar to gain an understanding of these methods, along with answers to the questions above and more. Here, you will:

• Understand what toxicology is and its various sub-disciplines.
• Learn the different ways drugs can be classified.
• Explore the different biological matrices that can be used for drug testing and the benefits/limitations of each.
• Learn the principles of rapid drug screening technology and laboratory confirmation for drug testing.
• Understand the workflows of a toxicology testing laboratory and learn how the combination of drug screening and confirmation provides the most accurate information regarding the individual’s drug use/history.

Presenter Biography

Dr. Sumandeep Rana, with over 22 years of experience in the field, Dr. Rana has worked extensively as a researcher, scientific and operations director. She has led cross functional teams and provided leadership to high production toxicology laboratories. Her area of expertise includes analytical toxicology, alternate matrices, and emerging designer drugs. She served on the Board of Directors of the Society of Forensic Toxicology (SOFT) for eight years and she was the President of SOFT in 2020. SOFT Designer Drugs Committee was incepted under her leadership. She is very active in forensic science standards development and has served on SWGTOX and the Toxicology Subcommittee of OSAC.