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
 Implementation of NPS Discovery – An Early Warning Systems for Novel Drug Intelligence, Surveillance, Monitoring, Response, and Forecasting using Drug Materials and Toxicology Populations in the US
Note:
              This awardee has received supplemental funding. This award detail page includes information about both the original award and supplemental awards.
Award Information
Awardee
              FREDRIC RIEDERS FAMILY RENAISSANCE FOUNDATION
Award #
              15PNIJ-22-GG-04434-MUMU
Funding Category
              Competitive Discretionary
Location
                    WILLOW GROVE, PA
Congressional District
              4
Status
              Open
Funding First Awarded
              2022
Total funding (to date)
              $978,748
Original Solicitation
              NIJ FY22 Research and Development in Forensic Sciences for Criminal Justice Purposes
Description of original award (Fiscal Year 2022, $485,938)
Illicit and recreational drug use in the United States are major contributors to morbidity and mortality, especially among vulnerable populations. While law enforcement agencies and the criminal justice community continue to combat harms linked to drug use, continuous challenging phenomena remain posing forensic and legal consequences. One aspect is certain – drug trends and drug use patterns continue to change and evolve with time and geographical region, especially in the context of new and emerging drug threats. New synthetic drugs, also referred to as novel psychoactive substances (NPS), represent a growing sub-class of concern as pharmacological potencies increase and new drugs infiltrate traditional drug supplies. Keeping pace with the most current drugs remains one of the greatest technical challenges facing forensic chemists and toxicologists today. This multidisciplinary proposal is designed to build on prior NIJ-funded research in method development, validation, and application to apply novel tools to the identification of emerging drugs, to characterize these drugs in forensic toxicological and chemistry samples, and to share methods, analytical data, toxicological data, and more, with the forensic practitioner community. Our laboratory will partner with medical examiners, coroners, toxicologists, chemists, law enforcement, public health, and various forensic laboratories across the United States to acquire and analyze authentic toxicology samples (e.g., blood, urine) and drug materials (e.g., powder, pill). Liquid chromatography quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (LC-QTOF-MS) and liquid chromatography tandem quadrupole mass spectrometry (LC-QQQ-MS) will primarily be used for comprehensive drug testing. NPS in the drug supply will be discovered through extensive surveillance initiatives followed by drug monitoring to determine prevalence, positivity, trends, drug combinations, and other characteristics. Metabolism of newly discovered NPS will be studied to assist toxicology investigations. New confirmatory methods will be rapidly developed for application to authentic samples, gaining drug concentration data to develop reference ranges. All acquired data and information will be processed into high-impact reports to serve as blueprints for scientists, clinicians, practitioners, and other stakeholders interested in various information about newly emerging drugs and their impacts. A key component of this project is the extensive dissemination of deliverable to the forensic science, criminal justice, public health, and public safety communities. Reports and publication will be made available open-access to forensic science and criminal justice partners. Overall, this research will facilitate and ensure more accurate and timely reporting of new drugs, aid scheduling and control actions, and assist with interdiction efforts and drug trafficking intelligence. CA/NCF
Supplemental Award 1 (Fiscal Year 2023, $492,810)
Illicit and recreational drug use in the United States are major contributors to morbidity and mortality, especially among vulnerable populations. While law enforcement agencies and the criminal justice community continue to combat harms linked to drug use, continuous challenging phenomena remain posing forensic and legal consequences. One aspect is certain – drug trends and drug use patterns continue to change and evolve with time and geographical region, especially in the context of new and emerging drug threats. New synthetic drugs, also referred to as novel psychoactive substances (NPS), represent a growing sub-class of concern as pharmacological potencies increase and new drugs infiltrate traditional drug supplies. Keeping pace with the most current drugs remains one of the greatest technical challenges facing forensic chemists and toxicologists today. This multidisciplinary proposal is designed to build on prior NIJ-funded research in method development, validation, and application to apply novel tools to the identification of emerging drugs, to characterize these drugs in forensic toxicological and chemistry samples, and to share methods, analytical data, toxicological data, and more, with the forensic practitioner community. Our laboratory will partner with medical examiners, coroners, toxicologists, chemists, law enforcement, public health, and various forensic laboratories across the United States to acquire and analyze authentic toxicology samples (e.g., blood, urine) and drug materials (e.g., powder, pill). Liquid chromatography quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (LC-QTOF-MS) and liquid chromatography tandem quadrupole mass spectrometry (LC-QQQ-MS) will primarily be used for comprehensive drug testing. NPS in the drug supply will be discovered through extensive surveillance initiatives followed by drug monitoring to determine prevalence, positivity, trends, drug combinations, and other characteristics. Metabolism of newly discovered NPS will be studied to assist toxicology investigations. New confirmatory methods will be rapidly developed for application to authentic samples, gaining drug concentration data to develop reference ranges. All acquired data and information will be processed into high-impact reports to serve as blueprints for scientists, clinicians, practitioners, and other stakeholders interested in various information about newly emerging drugs and their impacts. A key component of this project is the extensive dissemination of deliverable to the forensic science, criminal justice, public health, and public safety communities. Reports and publication will be made available open-access to forensic science and criminal justice partners. Overall, this research will facilitate and ensure more accurate and timely reporting of new drugs, aid scheduling and control actions, and assist with interdiction efforts and drug trafficking intelligence. CA/NCF


  
Grant-Funded Publications
        
                      Notes from the Field: Cluster of Severe Illness from Neptune’s Fix Tianeptine Linked to Synthetic Cannabinoids — New Jersey, June–November 2023
                  NPS Discovery Q2 2023 Trend Reports

  
Date Created: September 30, 2022
    
          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
        
                      Extraction and Quantification of Fentanyl and Metabolites from Complex Biological Matrices to Support Medicolegal Death Investigations
                  Toxicological Time Travel: Retrospective Datamining of Analytical Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometry Data for Evaluating the Rise and Fall of Novel Opioid and Fentanyl Analog Use in the United States
                  Electrochemical and Colorimetric Aptamer-Based Sensors for Rapid On-site Screening of Synthetic Cannabinoids in Seized Substances and Biological samples.
 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