U.S. flag
      An official website of the United States government, Department of Justice.
        Here's how you know
      Here's how you know**Official websites use .gov**
            
            A **.gov** website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.
      **Secure .gov websites use HTTPS**
            
            A **lock** (
            A locked padlock
            ) or **https://** means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. Menu

      
        close

            
            
                                              About NIJ
        
                    
  
          About NIJ
      
    
          The NIJ Director
          How NIJ Is Organized
          Mission and Guiding Principles
          Research and Development Process
          Strategic Framework
          Assessments of NIJ
          Annual Reports & Reports to Congress
          Staff Directory
          Funding & Awards
        
                    
  
          Funding & Awards
      
    
          Current Funding
          Forthcoming Funding
          Expired Funding
          Awards: Listing of Funded Projects
          Guidance for Applicants and Awardees
          Fellowship & Student Programs
          Travel Scholarships
          NIJ Challenge Program
          Library & Multimedia
        
                    
  
          Library & Multimedia
      
    
          NIJ Journal
          Podcasts
          Publications Listing
          Multimedia Listing
          Rated Practices on CrimeSolutions
          Rated Programs on CrimeSolutions
          Software & Databases
          Datasets
          Patents
          Topics
        
                    
  
          Topics
      
    
          Article Listing
          Corrections
          Courts
          Crime Prevention
          Crimes
          Drugs and Crime
          Equipment and Technology
          Forensic Sciences
          Youth Justice
          Justice System Reform
          Law Enforcement
          Tribal Crime and Justice
          Victims of Crime
          Events
        
                    
  
          Events
      
    
          NIJ 2024 Research Conference
          Scheduled Events
          On-Demand Events
          Research Meetings & Workshops
          NIJ-Hosted Online Training

                            
                                About
          Contact Us
          Subscribe
          Topics A-Z
                  Share
FacebookXLinkedInRedditPinterestEmail Home
                            Funding & Awards
 Phase II Metabolites of Drugs in Hair: A Potential Solution for Environmental Contamination
Award Information
Awardee
              RESEARCH TRIANGLE INSTITUTE
Award #
              2019-DU-BX-0021
Funding Category
              Competitive Discretionary
Location
                    RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, NC
Congressional District
              4
Status
              Closed
Funding First Awarded
              2019
Total funding (to date)
              $295,625
Original Solicitation
              Research and Development in Forensic Science for Criminal Justice Purposes, FY 2019
Description of original award (Fiscal Year 2019, $295,625)
Although drugs and some metabolites can be measured reliably in hair, differentiating drugs deposited in hair through actual use of the parent drug from drugs that are present through external contamination is difficult, if not impossible. External contamination may occur when an individual is in the company of users or from environmental exposure in contaminated environments. Wash procedures are commonly employed to minimize the impact of external contamination, but there are no standardized wash procedures, and washing may incorporate drugs into the internal matrix of the hair shaft. The use of metabolites as markers in addition to or instead of parent drugs has been suggested as a means to differentiate drug use from contamination, and this is reflected in current hair testing guidelines. We propose to look for unique metabolites that are indicators of consumption in addition to, or in place of, the parent drugs.
The choice of metabolite is critical because some metabolites can be present as process impurities, meaning they may be present as a result of contamination by the parent compounds. Other metabolites may be degradation products formed because of exposure to hair care products after parent drug contamination. Some parent drugs may be converted to metabolites during analysis. In addition, some metabolites are commercially available drugs themselves.
Phase II conjugated metabolites are ideal markers of use because they are not products of common degradation pathways, as is the case for many phase I metabolites, and they are not commercially available for therapeutic use or abuse. We hypothesize that conjugated metabolites of drugs of abuse are present in drug users hair as a result of metabolic activity and excretion into the hair. We propose to conduct exploratory research to look for the presence of these metabolites in hair from known users. We will use a variety of sample preparation and liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) techniques to detect conjugated metabolites in hair samples. Data acquisition will include (1) targeted LC-MS/MS acquisition methods commonly employed in metabolite identification applications and (2) full-scan, high-resolution LC-MS data acquisition and comparative analyses using a metabolomics approach.
Anticipated outcomes include a list of conjugated metabolites of commonly used drugs detected in hair of users of those drugs, along with suitable extraction methods for their analysis.
Note: This project contains a research and/or development component, as defined in applicable law, and complies with Part 200 Uniform Requirements - 2 CFR 200.210(a)(14).
CA/NCF



  
Grant-Funded Publications
        
                      Phase II Metabolites of Drugs in Hair: A Potential Solution for Environmental Contamination

  
Date Created: September 13, 2019
    
          Side navigation
  

        

  
  
              Current Funding
    
      
            
            
            
      Forthcoming Funding
    
      
            
            
            
      Expired Funding
    
      
            
            
            
      Awards: Listing of Funded Projects
    
      
            
            
            
      Guidance for Applicants and Awardees
    
      
            
            
            
      Fellowship & Student Programs
    
      
            
            
            
      Travel Scholarships
    
      
            
            
            
      NIJ Challenge ProgramSimilar Awards
        
                      Quantifying the accuracy of low quality DNA sample analysis from genotyping to genealogical searching and integration as a bioinformatic pipeline
                  Nanoparticle-Decorated Micropillars As Integrated Raman Spectroscopy and Mass Spectrometry Substrates for Quantitative and High-Throughput Toxicology Drug Analysis
                  Recovery and Analysis of Less Volatile Components for the Identification of Ignitable Liquid Residues in Fire Debris - Continuation of current NIJ-funded project (2020-DQ-BX-0003)
 Top

      National Institute of Justice

        
        
                        About NIJ
                    About NIJ
      
    
                  How NIJ Is Organized
      
    
                  NIJ Director
      
    
                  Research Disclaimer
      
    
                  Funding & Awards
                    Funding & Awards Home
      
    
                  Awards Listing
      
    
                  Current Funding
      
    
                  Guidance for Applicants and Awardees
      
    
                  Resources
                    Events
      
    
                  Podcasts
      
    
                  Publications
      
    
                  Topics
      
    
                  Multimedia
      
    
                  Reuse Policy
      
    
                  Contacts
                    Contact NIJ
      
    
                  Staff Directory
      
    
                  Submit a FOIA Request
      
    
                  File a Civil Rights ComplaintFacebook
          
                      X
          
                      YouTube
  

      810 7th St. NW, Washington, D.C. 20531
      
              Secondary Footer link menu
            Accessibility
              Plain Language
              Privacy Policy
              Legal Policies and Disclaimer
              No FEAR Act
              Freedom of Information Act
              USA.gov
              Justice.gov