UDAS - (Urine Drugs Analysis System)
The Toxicology Unit has over 30 years experience in analysing urine from drug treatment centres.
The unit developed a novel method of analysis, UDAS, for the simultaneous detection of major drugs of abuse, prescription and over-the-counter drugs.
The method uses Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (the gold-standard identification technique in the forensic profession) providing conclusive identification of drugs and eliminating the need for initial screening; hence being a cost-effective analysis method.
The reported results are of a standard suitable for use in court.
The method can:
Applications of UDAS
- Specific drugs of abuse screen for clients attending drug-dependency clinics.
- Confirmation of positive results from screening tests.
- To check compliance of medication in mental health patients.
- Distinguish between street heroin, diamorphine and poppy seed ingestion.
- Determine if morphine is due to codeine ingestion.
- Be used to detect “unknowns”.
- Detect various antidepressants, antipsychotics, anticonvulsants, over-the counter preparations etc. Each sample is screened for approximately 50 drugs in total.
- Routine screen includes buprenorphine (Subutex) and metabolites.
The method has been fully validated and published in a peer reviewed journal:
- S. Paterson, R. Cordero, S. McCulloch, P. Houldsworth. Analysis of urine for drugs of abuse using mixed-mode solid-phase extraction and gas chromatography/mass spectrometry. Ann. Of Clin. Biochem. 2000; 37: 690-700
