New Way of Detecting Date-Rape Drug Found in Switzerland
The biomarker was found in 2,414 forensic urine samples and detected up to three days after intake, researchers said.
- On Tuesday, University of Zurich researchers announced a new biomarker, GHB-pentose, that extends detection of the "date-rape drug" GHB in urine to 72 hours after consumption.
- Conventional analysis typically detects GHB in urine for only 12 hours, leaving little time to identify the substance in forensic cases before traces vanish.
- For a study published last week in the journal Drug Testing and Analysis, researchers analyzed 2,414 anonymized urine samples, finding GHB-pentose remains detectable when traditional GHB testing fails.
- In three cases involving two robberies and one alleged sexual assault, experts detected the biomarker 13 to 16 hours after the incident, even when standard GHB levels were undetectable.
- Dr. Andrea Steuer noted the team now routinely tests for GHB-pentose when suspecting GHB administration, adding the biomarker could help investigate deaths where natural GHB formation complicates analysis.
31 Articles
31 Articles
Researchers at the University of Zurich have discovered a new method that allows the identification of GHB, known as the "date rape drug", even several days after consumption. The discovery is expected to help in the investigation of cases where victims are drugged without their knowledge. A new method developed by the Institute of Forensic Medicine at the University of Zurich in Switzerland allows the detection of the substance GHB in the body …
The deputy head of the institute explains how long K.-o. drops are newly detectable and why this is important.
"The usual detection window is about six hours in the blood and twelve hours in the urine," explains the research team of Dr. Andrea Steuer of the forensic institute of the University of Zurich, noting that every hour counts with current methods to detect this drug used "to make victims unconscious." In 2021, the team of researchers had identified a new biomarker, a compound of Gamma-hydroxybutyrate (GHB) and sugar, called GHB-pentose. "Unlike G…
Observador
Research team identified a new biomarker, called GHB-pentosis, which remains detectable in urine for long periods after ingestion, surpassing standard analytical methods.
Swiss researchers have developed a method by which the K.o.-Tropfen-Droge GHB could be detected up to 72 hours after administration. So far, the detection window has been significantly shorter.
Researchers at the University of Zurich have identified a new biomarker to detect the one known as the "rapist drug".
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