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doi: 10.1177/002029400904201003pmid: N/A
With drug abuse proving to be a continuing problem in society, it is no surprise that the detection of such abuse is an issue of importance. No more so than in the case of detection of drug impaired driving where the lives of many people may be placed at risk. With established method detection procedures and devices in place for alcohol, analytical chemists and other scientists are focussing their efforts on establishing analytical cut-offs and devices for the detection of drugs at the roadside. In this paper, the challenges faced in such a search are discussed. The main concerns arise from the choice of biological sample, the sampling methods employed, the device used for detection, and the cut-offs or detection limits for the devices. With many commercially available kits on the market, and none meeting the required standards at this time, a search for alternative methods is on going. Microfluidic devices may prove useful in this search however, more research is required in this area.
doi: 10.1177/002029400904201004pmid: N/A
At present, the scientific techniques and tests available to locate and identify particular body fluids are both time consuming and destructive in nature. Technological advances have led the way to rapid, miniaturised, DNA analysis with the ability to obtain a DNA profile from a small number of cells. Forensic science is calling for assistance to develop current body fluid detection capabilities in line with the advances of DNA and the requirements of the criminal justice system.
doi: 10.1177/002029400904201005pmid: N/A
The development and proliferation of technologies which support the image capture, identification and authentication of biometric markers and individuals, together with sensing/detection technologies provide considerable opportunities, in regard to their potential role in supporting the use and impact of forensic science.Imaging technologies, can be used to support the real time capture of crime scenes and the evidence within, such that the evidence can be subsequently (or potentially real-time) analysed and interpreted. If coupled or integrated with Biometric and other technologies (such as GPS) these combinations could offer the potential to develop systems which provided an ‘alert to crime’ and that could recover, analyse and interpret ‘forensic evidence’; and that would not only automatically report a crime and its location, but also identify and locate the offender. This potential has already been recognised, in relation to the use of CCTV, but there are opportunities to enhance and expand further.These new technologies and methods of data capture provide opportunities to expand the current boundaries of the use of forensic science and the technology used to support it. However, in exploring the potential for further expansion a number areas need to be addressed.
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