QUANTITATION OF DRUGS OF ABUSE BY GC/MS

University Of Utah, Salt Lake City UT

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Abstract

One of NIDA's primary program objectives is to stimulate and support research on drugs of abuse in the areas of pharmacokinetics, metabolism, pharmacology and toxicology. It is essential to identify and to quantify drugs and their metabolites in biological fluids such as cannabinoids, opiates, amphetamines, l-alpha-acetyl-methadol (LAAM), naltrexone, methadone, cocaine, phencyclidine, anabolic steroids, opioid peptides and peptidomimetics, anadamides and their metabolites, and benzodiazepines. These usually appear in biological material at concentrations of ng/g or ng/ml and therefore require the use of state of the art chromatography methods including gas chronography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS). Since 1974, the National Institute on Drug Abuse has been providing analytical support to investigators in the drug abuse area for whom this analytical methodology is not available otherwise. This contract is to continue this analytical service and also to serve as a reference laboratory by which new methodologies currently under development can be assessed and validated. The contractor shall quantify a variety of drugs and their metabolites in biological fluids including plasma, urine, saliva and various tissues. The analytical methodology shall provide sensitivity and specificity for analysis of drugs for pharmacokinetic studies, usually in ng/ml or ng/g range. In the case of LSD, sensitivity of 100pg in urine or blood.