Pharmaceutical and forensic analysis of crack cocaine samples in the development of harm reduction devices

This project will build upon recent studies in a successful PhD with Dr Scott. It is focused on the pharmaceutical and forensic analysis of seized crack cocaine samples for the development of inhalation delivery devices with a specific endpoint of harm reduction for crack cocaine abusers. The potential to reduce hepatitis C risks from sharing crack pipes will follow from analysis of the inhalation data. A range of pharmaceutical science and engineering techniques will be used in this research. This is a full-time research project aimed at tackling several important questions using a new approach to achieving harm reduction by applying aspects of the output from pharmaceutical analysis of drugs of abuse. This is a pharmaceutical analysis research project leading to pharmacy practice research and based on the precedent in Dr Scott’s recent research at the University of Bath, demonstrating the potential for science-based interventions in harm reduction. This is a major goal in improving the health of drug abusers as well as saving the NHS money. The precedent means that we will be able to make rapid progress in collaboration with Drugs Users Groups as well as in the laboratory. We will therefore define the approach to such harm reduction interventions starting with cocaine and other alkaloids. We will work on the analysis of their cutting agents seeking to answer whether they are potentially harmful in their mode of action. A wide variety of techniques will be taught and this will be the basis of training in modern interdisciplinary research. The techniques involved will include detailed chromatographic separations and spectroscopic characterisations especially by NMR spectroscopy and mass spectrometry. As the project proceeds, we will move on to the problems that arise with New Psychoactive Substances (NPS) as defined in the European Early Warning System (EEWS), of which 100s are now flooding youth culture, so-called “legal highs”. This will be interdisciplinary work of impact at a time of increasing harm and decreasing health budgets.