NARCOSIS
Non-tArgeted foRensic multidisCiplinary platfOrm for inveStigatIon of drug-related fatalitieS
Informazioni Generali
- Coordinatore:
- ENEA (Italia)
- Responsabile:
- CHIRICO ROBERTO - NUC-TECFIS-DIM (FRASCATI)
- Ruolo ENEA:
- COORD
- Sito WEB:
- https://www.narcosis-project.eu/
Programmi Europei
- Programma:
- HORIZON EUROPE (2021-2027) -> Cluster 3 - Civil security for society (IA - Innovation Action)
Descrizione e Attività
Descrizione Generale
The rapidly changing nature of the New Psychoactive Substance (NPS) market and the overall large number of substances that need to
be monitored have presented challenges for early warning activities in recent years. Since the number of illicit drug classes is growing
exponentially over time, the current challenge is no longer to search substances during an investigation, but rather to provide a sort
of preliminary identification of the substance as illicit, i.e., to tag it as such, especially when it is a new type of drug. Today several
instruments equipped with up-to-date libraries allow for the rapid identification of drugs of abuse. However, this approach suffers from
four main problems: 1) The instruments’ libraries are not updated regularly; 2) The instruments do not easily overcome the matrix
effect; 3) NPSs are trafficked and sold in smaller doses, making their detection and identification more difficult; 4) Routine methods of
analysis during forensic analysis are no longer effective in screening drugs of abuse, the parent drugs but also their metabolites, due to
the lack of structural information and commercial reference materials. NARCOSIS (Non-tArgeted foRensic multidisCiplinary platfOrm
for inveStigatIon of drug-related fatalitieS) will provide a set of features for fast, robust, and reliable multidisciplinary approach to
harmonise forensic investigations by means of an up-to-date and updateable diagnostic platform with the following key features: 1) A set
of selected orthogonal instruments operable both on-site and in laboratories (Raman/SERS, IR, HSI, HRMS) will be adapted to be used
with the NARCOSIS platform; 2) Build a comparable and shareable (cross-organisation) reference spectra (meta-spectra) database for
faster detection and identification of drugs of abuse; 3) Create an AI-assisted spectra management and integration toolkit for analytical
measurements to support the EU Early Warning System to rapidly detect, assess and respond to NPS.
Attività svolta da ENEA
ENEA coordina il progetto con il compito di sviluppare tecnologie innovative per applicazioni forens. E' leader del WP1 Project Management, del WP5 Validation and Demonstration, Training and Evaluation e del WP8 Ethic requirements. Inoltre partecipa attivamente al WP2 Needs, specifications and practitioners support.