IonSense,  the leading provider of Direct analysis in real time mass spectrometry (DART) for rapid mass spectral analysis of a large variety of samples, has announced its ground-breaking DART-MS technology has been selected as part of a new drug screening program, piloting in five states across the United States.

The pilot program is testing drugs and drug paraphernalia using highly accurate fast detection mass spectrometry enabled by IonSense’s DART, to identify the contents of drugs within minutes, at the point of need. 

The ‘Rapid Analysis of Drugs’ screening program was first launched by the Governor of Maryland, in conjunction with the Maryland State Police (MSP), Maryland Department of Health (MDH), and National Institute of Standards and Technology in December, to identify illicit drugs and counter recent increase in overdose deaths. 

It has also been adopted by four further states with; Alabama, Virginia, Texas and Washington DC implementing the scheme, with more states expected to follow in quick succession. 

Commenting on the program and technology, Colonel Woodrow W. “Jerry” Jones III, superintendent of the Maryland State Police, said: “For police, there is no other drug detection test available in the field to provide almost instantaneous results with such high accuracy rates. The immediate feedback to the criminal investigators is invaluable. The innovative instrument also allows for enhanced collaboration with public health organizations.”

Secretary Dennis Schrader of Maryland Department of Health, added: “The Rapid Analysis of Drugs program provides Maryland with an opportunity to substantially increase its ability to monitor the drug supply in the state. The information provided by the program will help us to communicate the dangers of these drugs even more effectively and ultimately save more lives.”

DART is an ionization source that, uniquely, analyzes a variety of particles (including solids, liquids and gases) without needing any sample preparation for MS analyses to work. This removes a major time-consuming step, so users can rapidly identify samples, including many that don’t ionize well using other methods, at the point of need.

Jeff Zonderman, CEO at IonSense, commented: “We’re absolutely delighted at the prospect of DART-MS being the gold standard method for drug screening outside of the lab, in the US. 

“We have spent a lot of time piloting DART-MS for exactly this purpose and the results speak for themselves – they are accurate, reliable and efficient – combating many of the challenges faced by emergency workers and forensic teams who rely on such information to make informed decisions in critical situations. 

“We believe this is only the start for our DART-MS technology and are confident it will make an impact on the states utilizing it in the ‘Rapid Analysis of Drugs’ program and hopefully many more to come in the future.”

For more information on IonSense and its DART-MS technology please visit the website.

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About IonSense, Inc.

IonSense Inc., established in 2005, is the leading provider of Open Air/Ambient Ionization sources, systems and integrated solutions for the $5B Mass Spectrometry marketplace. Headquartered in Saugus, MA the company manufactures, sells and markets the DART® (Direct Analysis in Real Time) ionization source, the first open air ionization product to be patented and sold commercially. IONSENSE is a trademark of IonSense, Inc. DART is a trademark of JEOL USA.