Abstract
Liquid chromatography-high resolution mass spectrometry (LC-HRMS) has been widely used for screening small organic molecules in complex samples. Its selectivity and sensitivity allow for broad-scope screening of thousands of analytes. However, the complexity of the acquired data has complicated its implementation in high-throughput laboratories that analyze hundreds of samples per week and require that multiple users be able to analyze the data. Forensic laboratories have managed to harvest the merits of LC-HRMS technology using robust and often leveled data analysis(/acquisition) workflows, without spending a disproportionate amount of time evaluating inconclusive or false positive identifications. This critical review describes the full analytical process of LC-HRMS-based forensic drug screening, from sample preparation to data analysis and beyond. Interesting solutions are highlighted, and two emerging trends will be discussed: i) the use of free online tools to improve forensic drug screening, and ii) re-use of data to improve forensic services.
Original language | English |
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Article number | 117023 |
Journal | TrAC - Trends in Analytical Chemistry |
Volume | 162 |
Number of pages | 12 |
ISSN | 0165-9936 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 2023 |
Bibliographical note
Funding Information:The authors would like to thank Juliet Wawira Kinyua for valuable input. PJH acknowledges Antidoping Denmark; MM acknowledges the Research Council of Norway (# 312267 ).
Keywords
- Broad-scope screening
- Drug screening
- Forensic toxicology
- LC-HRMS
- New psychoactive substances
- Retrospective data analysis
- Wide-scope screening