The Track & Trace pilot program will map where substances are coming from, and going to, informing public safety and health.
A new UBC-led initiative, Track & Trace, aims to make a real difference in the toxic drug crisis.
Drugs in the unregulated market change constantly: Potency can increase from sample to sample, and additives range from benign to toxic. These chemical changes can be deadly and too often, the healthcare system only learns about them after overdoses happen. Track & Trace aims to close that gap.
UBC spin-off Aidos Innovations is heading the pilot program, which is based in the UBC department of chemistry, and will involve working with the provincial government, healthcare workers and police to provide early warnings for new dangerous drugs, detailed insights into supply patterns and informed predictions of where illicit substances are headed.
The initiative builds on nearly a decade of work by UBC researchers. The concept first emerged in 2016, when chemistry professors Drs. Glenn Sammis and Dan Bizzotto began exploring how their expertise could be applied to the newly declared public health emergency.
“It’s hard to live in Vancouver and not see how the toxic drug crisis is devastating lives,” said Dr. Sammis. “I’m in a unique and privileged position at UBC to do something about it.”
The Track & Trace pilot program, funded by the Province of B.C. through the Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General for two years, is led by a multidisciplinary research team specializing in analytical chemistry, clinical medicine and translational science.
This team includes Dr. Pouya Azar, assistant professor in the UBC department of psychiatry, Dr. Jesse Sidhu, Aidos Innovations director, Dr. Brent Page, associate professor in the faculty of pharmaceutical sciences, Dr. Tao Huan, associate professor in the department of chemistry.
“The program’s focus is on supply patterns and prevention, not arresting people,” said Dr. Sammis. “We want this to have a real-life positive impact on people’s lives. That’s what we’re all trying to achieve: no deaths, fewer overdoses, and better managed care. We want this technology to be useful, and used.”
AI can then connect these fingerprints across time and place to predict where similar batches might occur. Uploaded to a shared database, this data could enable earlier health warnings, faster responses from hospitals and first responders, and disruption of the illicit drug supply.
To do this quickly, efficiently and safely, the team will utilize the robotic labs and expertise of Dr. Jason Hein, UBC professor of chemistry, and his team. Designed for pharmaceutical manufacturers, these robotic labs can also be used for the public good.
“Imagine trying to cross Shibuya Square with your eyes closed and not bump into things: you’re not going to make good decisions about what traffic is where,” said Dr. Hein. “You need moment-to-moment data. Having the right information at the right time can save lives, and now we have technology that can provide that.”
Story from UBC Media. Read the full story here.
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