MassTox® Drugs of Abuse Testing in Urine with 96 Well Plates

Clinical relevance

Drug abuse is one of the most pressing public health issues worldwide, including the use of both illegal drugs and prescription medicines. Cannabis is by far the most commonly consumed illegal drug in Europe. Distant runners-up are the stimulants cocaine, MDMA and amphetamines. Within the class of opioids, heroin continues to be the most widely abused drug.

Drug of abuse testing in forensic medicine can establish both illicit drug use and whether crimes were committed under the influence of drugs. During the treatment of drug addicts, it is also performed to verify the abstinence of illicit drugs during replacement and maintenance therapy. In occupational medicine, drug screening is used to check for abstinence and to determine if a patient is fit to drive. Accurate testing can also help to save lives when someone is intoxicated.

Product advantages

• Assay includes 108 drugs and metabolites
• Target screening and quantitative confirmation within the same run
• Run time of 12 minutes
• Simple sample preparation combined with high selectivity and sensitivity
• Internal standards for 98 analytes
• With reaction vials or with 96 well plate

MassTox® Drugs of Abuse Testing is an LC-MS/MS-based assay that helps to increase speed of analysis and eliminates the need for developing and maintaining in-house methods or specific QC materials. The test is available with reaction vials or 96 well plates and allows the target screening of 108 drugs and metabolites. The confirmatory analysis can also be performed within the same run. It provides a significantly higher selectivity and sensitivity than current immunoassays and is designed to work below cut-offs applied in forensic labs. Semi-quantitative statements are also possible.

The assay includes isotopically labelled internal standards for nearly all analytes and allows the separation of all substances in a single chromatographic separation of approximately 12 minutes. The high stability of the 6PLUS1® Multilevel Calibrator Set and MassCheck® controls with three levels ensure reliable results with highest precision. A specific urine control with a carefully selected set of glucuronide metabolites allows controlling the proper functioning of the hydrolysis process. This Hydrolysis Control can also be used in laboratories working with their own developed methods and enzymes.