A research associate demonstrates the process of analyzing hair samples as CHED Chairperson J. Prospero de Vera looks on. The University of the Philippines Drugs of Abuse Research Laboratory (UP DARL) unveiled a new device capable of rapidly identifying new types of party drugs, providing significant support to law enforcement agencies and the country’s bid to combat illegal drugs. This state-of-the-art technology – currently only available in UP Manila College of Pharmacy, efficiently identifies the psychoactive substances included in new party drugs or new psychoactive substances in real-time, thus helping not only law enforcement authorities but also medical teams during emergencies. The laboratory was set up through the cooperation of the UP Manila College of Pharmacy, College of Medicine and the National Poison Management and Control Center, and the University of California San Francisco (Clinical Toxicology and Environmental Biomonitoring Laboratory) through a grant from the Philippine California Advanced Research Institutes Program of the Commission on Higher Education (CHED). “This new technology will certainly give our law enforcers the upper hand in the fight against the new kinds of recreational drugs proliferating in the market. Providing public information about these party drugs will boost the campaign against illegal drugs including drug misuse and overdose,” Prof. Joanna Toralba, Laboratory Manager of UP DARL said during the event on Nov. 12, 2024, at the UP Manila College of Pharmacy. Last year, reports said authorities are keeping an eye on the possible entry of a new kind of illegal drug that is said to be three times stronger than shabu and ecstasy. The said illegal drug was reportedly seen in high-end bars in Thailand and Myanmar. Since 2019, UP DARL has utilized various technologies for the identification of drugs of abuse and has assisted law enforcement agencies including the Food and Drugs Administration (FDA).  UP DARL’s Liquid Chromatography-Quadrupole Time-of-flight Mass Spectrometry (LC-QTOF/MS) enhances the illegal drug testing of government agencies because it can analyze new designer drugs in the hair.  “This is an example of the expertise of the academe at the service of the government. We will be utilizing the expertise of UP Manila in pharmaceutical, toxicology, and chemical sciences to help the government better address the drug problem in the country, taking into consideration a public health and human rights approach to the issue,” CHED Chairperson J. Prospero E. de Vera said.  As a special clinical laboratory for toxicology, UP DARL also accepts testing of biological samples and pharmaceutical products for drug analysis. The laboratory is capable of analyzing 110 compounds including pharmaceuticals, common drugs of abuse, and new psychoactive substances.  Aside from these, UP DARL is also capable of performing clinical validation of samples taken using the point-of-care (POCT) device for selected new party drugs. UP Manila experts earlier introduced a portable or POCT device for testing the presence of new psychoactive substances such as ketamine, synthetic cannabinoids, and synthetic cathinones through urine samples. “We thank CHED Chair De Vera for supporting the establishment of the DARL.We also acknowledge the efforts of our faculty members and the Research, Extension, and Professional Services personnel. More than a laboratory to test drugs, this will serve as a teaching-learning facility where future experts will train. We hope that through this, we can help replicate the expertise in regional centers and other state colleges and universities so they too can assist our government in fighting the proliferation of illegal drugs,” UP Manila Chancellor Michael Tee said.# Text by: Jennifer ManongdoPhoto by: Erlyn Pareja