By Dr Jenny Scott, Senior Lecturer, Centre for Academic Primary Care, University of Bristol
In 2019, while working at the University of Bath, I had a conversation with Professor Chris Pudney that would spark an idea that is now saving lives. We met at a research “sandpit” – an event designed to bring together researchers from different fields to explore new ideas. We started talking about the growing dangers faced by people who use drugs, especially in an unregulated and increasingly toxic drug market.
That conversation led to the formation of Team Harm Reduction – a group of scientists, clinicians, and researchers working together to tackle drug-related harm. By combining expertise in chemistry, artificial intelligence, mathematics, pharmacy, and intervention development, alongside my own experience in substance use services, we set out to create tools that could detect harmful substances quickly and accurately.
A crisis that needs urgent action
The UK is facing a drug death crisis. The rise of powerful synthetic opioids has made an already serious situation even worse. While drug checking services have been used in parts of Europe for years, they’ve been slower to take off in the UK.
Our team developed a handheld device that can instantly detect harmful substances in drugs. It was first trained to detect synthetic cannabinoids – a group of highly potent chemicals often sold as cannabis substitutes, but far more dangerous than cannabis and more likely to cause physical and mental health harms.
We trialled the device in prison settings, where spice use is a major issue resulting in half of all non-natural cause deaths in prison. The device has since been upgraded and trained to detect a range of other substances.
My role in the team is to investigate how we can use the device to reduce harm, and how to make that happen. Our paper on this was published recently. Importantly we explored the view of people who use drugs, who told us it was important to introduce the device in an ethical way which avoids criminalisation and stigma.
Protecting young people from hidden risks
More recently, our work has expanded into schools. After concerns were raised by headteachers and public health teams, we used the device to test confiscated e-cigarettes (vapes) – and found synthetic cannabinoids in almost a fifth of samples seized (17.4%).
These vapes are often sold as “cannabis vapes,” with the risk of harm much higher than young people realise. Our study showed that the problem is widespread, with synthetic cannabinoids found in three quarters of 27 schools in England that were sampled.
We published the first paper identifying this threat and are now working with colleagues, including Dr Prianka Padmanathan at the University of Bristol, to explore the issue further across the South West of England and beyond. Our aim is to develop a school-based intervention that includes the device, giving staff instant information to help keep students safe.
Looking ahead
We’re also exploring how this technology could support people who use drugs like heroin or benzodiazepines. By detecting dangerous additives like nitazenes, the device could help prevent overdoses and save more lives. We need to find ways to do this within the UK’s legal framework – always with harm reduction at the heart of our approach.
Team Harm Reduction is a great example of what can happen when science, lived experience, and compassion come together. We were proud and delighted to have recently been awarded a prestigious Royal Society of Chemistry Horizon Prize for this work. We look forward to continuing our collaboration to extend its impact and reach.
Sources of support
- NHS Addiction help website: Drug addiction: getting help – NHS
- Talk to Frank: Honest information about drugs | FRANK
Related posts
- From the laboratory to the street: doing multidisciplinary research to understand the rising numbers of deaths involving opioids and benzodiazepines
- My experience as an NIHR School for Primary Care Research intern: a pharmacy student’s perspective