BD&E Collaborates with BU for Hyperspectral Drug Imaging

Hyperspectral imaging equipment developer Bodkin Design & Engineering LLC is collaborating with professor Sabra Botch-Jones at the Boston University School of Medicine to determine the effectiveness of the company’s small, portable hyperspectral imager for drug analysis in field settings.

Field personnel, researchers and scientists are searching for a real-time method that yields information about potentially harmful substances, as well as guidance to prioritize and focus subsequent lab analysis. Hyperspectral imaging is especially helpful for real-time analysis in situ with no sample preparation and minimal steps.

In the field, this instrument could determine how forensic experts handle evidence. The focus is on the presence of illicit substances and whether the sample should be collected for further testing. Collection techniques may vary depending on the type of illicit material found, however.

"If I can obtain a hyperspectral reading, it would provide me with a better understanding of the type of substance we are dealing with,” Botch-Jones said. “As is the case with synthetic opioids, I would know that additional precautions were needed in handling that substance.”

First responders are now undergoing Narcan training in case of accidental exposure to a potent synthetic opioid. The use of hyperspectral imaging could help prevent many accidental exposures from happening in the first place.

“Not only will these results help us in the field, but having this information affects downstream analysis as well,” Sabra said. “In the lab, one would take extra precautions processing a synthetic opioid sample to prevent inhalation or dermal exposure.”

Bodkin Design & Engineering is a provider of hyperspectral imaging equipment, along with test and R&D services for the international OEM, commercial, military and research fields.