News

In 2020 and 2021, the Schedule I drug eutylone—typically sold as ecstasy, Molly or MDMA—was the most commonly encountered synthetic stimulant in forensic casework. While regulated in countries beside the U.S., including Canada, the UK, Sweden and Germany, eutylone is not controlled under the 1961, 1971 or 1988 United Nations Conventions. Stakeholders are seeking to change that.

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Congrats to our staff and collaborators for the publication of
“Pharmacological evaluation and forensic case series of N‐pyrrolidino etonitazene (etonitazepyne), a newly emerging 2‐benzylbenzimidazole ‘nitazene’ synthetic opioid”.

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The DEA has issued a notice of intent to publish a temporary order to schedule seven synthetic benzimidazole-opioid substances in schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act.

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February 21, 2022 – AAFS

Our Assistant Director, Dr. Alex Krotulski received the Irving Sunshine Award — Outstanding Research by a Young Investigator at this year's AAFS conference.
This award is given for outstanding research by a young investigator in forensic toxicology. This award aims to acknowledge contributions made to the profession in the early stages of the recipient's career, or within the first seven years of completing their highest educational degree.

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Our Executive Director, Dr. Barry Logan, received the highest TIAFT distinction, the Alan Curry Award, for a long history of distinguished contributions to the field of forensic toxicology.

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Our Executive Director and the Founder of the CFSRE, Dr Barry Logan was recently honored by the Brazilian Journal of Analytical Chemistry on his career and achievements in forensic and analytical toxicology. In the interview he reflects on what it means to be a researcher and scientist today, changes in the academic journey, responsibilities of senior professionals to support and grow tomorrows leaders, and the importance of international collaboration.
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Under an award from the Department of Defense, scientists at the CFSRE have recently published a research article in The Journal of Forensic Sciences focusing streamlining the identification of seminal fluid in sexual assault evidence. This work improved upon traditional protein mass spectrometry techniques by coupling automated affinity purification with high-throughput targeted mass spectrometry.
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Drug checking is a harm reduction strategy aimed at better understanding drug supplies and alerting people who use drugs about the dangers associated. Drug checking is increasingly being employed by public health agencies across the United States. The CFSRE and the Philadelphia Department of Public Health have developed a collaborative drug checking initiative. 
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Since the introduction of novel psychoactive substances (NPS) into the recreational drug supply more than a decade ago, public health and safety official have continued to ask “what drugs are next?” There have been many research initiatives aimed at tackling this question, including a new computer science algorithm – DarkNPS. While the program sound promising, not all scientists are convinced of its utility. CFSRE Associate Director Dr. Alex Krotulski was quoted saying “In a practical sense, nobody ever knows what’s coming next.”
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As the opioid epidemic continues in the United States, new synthetic opioids have emerged with alarming increased potency. Fentanyl remains the primary synthetic opioid identified in forensic casework, however, a new second tier of opioids has emerged – the “nitazenes”. According to ongoing research studies, nitazenes can be "way more potent than fentanyl, which is really scary," said CFSRE Associate Director Dr. Alex Krotulski.
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