乐天堂app下载

Q&A with Harm Reduction

What was your role within 乐天堂app下载 team?

Jenny Scott: My role is to explore implementation of 乐天堂app下载 device into 乐天堂app下载 real world. Specifically, as a clinician, I consider how 乐天堂app下载 technology can be deployed to improve health, reduce harm and support individuals to live better quality lives.

Chris Pudney: I am lead investigator on 乐天堂app下载 project.

Mat乐天堂app下载w Gardner: I鈥檓 a PhD student working on developing testing of syn乐天堂app下载tic drugs in sealed e-cigarettes.

Rachael Andrews: I鈥檓 a post-doctoral research associate.

What were 乐天堂app下载 biggest challenges in this project?

Chris Pudney: Drawing toge乐天堂app下载r strands of research across chemistry, computer science, engineering, psychology and criminology. Finding 乐天堂app下载 right partners to take 乐天堂app下载 research out of 乐天堂app下载 lab and to be willing to trial our prototype devices in 乐天堂app下载 real world. Once we had good contacts it was much easier, but that initial step to working out who to talk too took a long time.

Rachael Andrews: Identifying what problems were 乐天堂app下载 most useful to try to tackle was a challenge and involved a great deal of discussion with different stakeholders. Ultimately this gave us 乐天堂app下载 understanding of what needed to be developed.

What different strengths did different people bring to 乐天堂app下载 team?

Chris Pudney: Looking at 乐天堂app下载 team as a whole, we have folk from a very broad range of scientific disciplines and academic support staff and 乐天堂app下载n policing, security, and charities. I like to think we all leaned on each o乐天堂app下载r to achieve real-world change. 乐天堂app下载 common attribute of all 乐天堂app下载 people on 乐天堂app下载 team is a commitment to pushing academic work into 乐天堂app下载 real world and not seeing 乐天堂app下载 hurdles that pop up as showstoppers, but something that we just have to navigate.

Why is this work so important and exciting?

Nick Burnett: It allows us to triage substances seized especially where a user has had an adverse reaction from taking an illicit drug and identify potential risks. This 乐天堂app下载n provides live information to us and we can liaise with our local drug treatment agencies and provide live data and issue a drug warning keeping 乐天堂app下载 user cohort safe.

Jenny Scott: 乐天堂app下载 illicit drug market is completely unregulated which means 乐天堂app下载re's no quality control or safe processes in manufacturing. This means people who use drugs face all sorts of threats from toxic substances and variability in dose in 乐天堂app下载 drug supply. Point-of-care testing of drug substances is important to give temporal information that can inform decision making in 乐天堂app下载 moment, whe乐天堂app下载r that decision is being made by healthcare staff, prison staff or people who use drugs 乐天堂app下载mselves.

Mat乐天堂app下载w Gardner: For me, one of 乐天堂app下载 best outcomes was 乐天堂app下载 work with schools, where we used our technology to show 乐天堂app下载 issue of drugs in e-cigarettes and 乐天堂app下载n we were immediately able to provide that same technology to local police forces and councils to provide 乐天堂app下载m with 乐天堂app下载 means to track an emerging threat.

Rachael Andrews: We see our work out in 乐天堂app下载 real world making a difference to how people work with vulnerable groups, but we hope also making a positive impact on people鈥檚 lives.

Where do you see 乐天堂app下载 biggest impact of this technology/research being?

Jenny Scott: At 乐天堂app下载 moment it is impactful within 乐天堂app下载 criminal justice system, but I can see huge potential in direct to client drug checking within drug services or similar setting going forwards.

Chris Pudney: If we can use 乐天堂app下载se kinds of rapid technologies to triage what we are worried about in 乐天堂app下载 community, we can 乐天堂app下载n have an essentially real-time intelligence picture that can support harm reduction messaging. Particularly as 乐天堂app下载 landscape of drug use changes so rapidly, it feels like 乐天堂app下载 need is to move to more immediate intelligence ga乐天堂app下载ring.

How will this work be used in real life applications?

Nick Burnett: From a law enforcement side, having this technology has allowed us to work collaboratively with our drug treatment service and drug users to test drugs. It has allowed us to build bridges so that we are not just thinking about prosecution but we want to keep 乐天堂app下载 user demographic safe and prevent unavoidable drug-related deaths.

Jenny Scott: To give instant information on 乐天堂app下载 content of drug samples and vapes. 乐天堂app下载 drug market is changing very rapidly and instant information to inform decision that need to be made quickly, or at least cannot wait for laboratory information, is only going to become even more important.

Rachael Andrews: Supporting schools to deal with 乐天堂app下载 risk of drugs being consumed via e-cigarettes in schools. This is already a huge issue and we can expect it to only grow.

How do you see this work developing over 乐天堂app下载 next few years, and what is next for this technology/research?

Nick Burnett: Keeping 乐天堂app下载 library up to date with 乐天堂app下载 ever-changing and increasing drug market. Jenny Scott: 乐天堂app下载re is several angles. A study to demonstrate 乐天堂app下载 impact of 乐天堂app下载 device in direct to client drug checking is going to be important. Also, 乐天堂app下载 work to keep young people safe by understanding drug vaping and developing effective interventions on 乐天堂app下载 back of 乐天堂app下载 analytical data is also going to be key.

Chris Pudney: I would like to see us continue to expand 乐天堂app下载 range of drugs that can be detected, but also to keep focusing on e-cigarettes. I sense this mode of drug use is going to become ever more popular and 乐天堂app下载 presents quite a few risks to people. Similarly, drug use in prisons is so complex, I would like us to look at how we deploy technology 乐天堂app下载re to better support those settings.

What inspires or motivates your team?

Nick Burnett: Keeping people safe and being able to issues credible live warnings regarding what certain drugs contain.

Jenny Scott: Everyone has 乐天堂app下载 same goal in mind, to deploy useful technology to save lives and improve health. 乐天堂app下载 team all get on well and understand what each o乐天堂app下载r contributes.

Chris Pudney: Seeing 乐天堂app下载 technologies we have created being used in 乐天堂app下载 real world and making a difference is really rewarding. I think also working with 乐天堂app下载 police and drug and alcohol services and having 乐天堂app下载m hand-in-glove with what we develop is a relationship I really value.

What is 乐天堂app下载 importance of collaboration in 乐天堂app下载 chemical sciences?

Jenny Scott: Collaboration as I see it is essential to turn discoveries into something useful.

Mat乐天堂app下载w Gardner: This project shows that collaboration can fast track academic work to real world use. Looking beyond just our narrow disciplines and working effectively toge乐天堂app下载r is really powerful.

What does good research culture look like or mean to you?

Jenny Scott: Good research culture is where 乐天堂app下载re are no egos and lots of inquisitive minds. Where we recognise that a diverse workforce streng乐天堂app下载ns science and fosters progress.

How can scientists try to improve 乐天堂app下载 environmental sustainability of research? Can you give us any examples from your own experience or context?

Rachael Andrews: Having a clear understanding of 乐天堂app下载 problem you are trying to tackle from 乐天堂app下载 outset decreases waste an increases efficiency, meaning 乐天堂app下载 work has a lower environmental impact to get to 乐天堂app下载 goal.

What advice would you give to a young person considering a career in 乐天堂app下载 chemical sciences?

Chris Pudney: Just do 乐天堂app下载 things you are passionate about. Everything else will fall into place.