Team:Edinburgh
Can SynBio be used to reduce the potential for drug-related harm?
Thousands die each year from drugs that are contaminated with dangerous cutting agents or other more potent drugs. In addition, there has been a rise in accidental overdoses from users not knowing the purity of the drugs they consume.
As students living in Edinburgh, a city sometimes dubbed "the drug capital of Europe", this problem is very close to our hearts.The question remains: can SynBio make a difference?
We believe that this is possible.
We are creating a cell-free, paper-based biosensor that can provide users with a better understanding of the composition of their drugs. Our biosensor will detect lethal contaminants and give a semi-quantitative analysis of purity. When paired with software it can red-light dangerously high purity levels and provide valuable information to users that could potentially save their lives.
Multiple tests will be integrated into one easy to use, portable and inexpensive biosensor. This summer we will focus on the development of three tests: Heroin Purity, PMA detection and DNP detection in Diet Pills.
