Developing Aptamer-Based Colorimetric Opioid Tests

• NCJ Number: 308822
• Journal: Journal of the American Chemical Society Volume: (JACS Au) 4 Issue: 3 Dated: March 2024 Pages: 1059-1072
• Author(s): Juan Canoura; Obtin Alkhamis; Matthew Venzke; Phuong T. Ly; Yi Xiao
• Date Published: March 2024
• Length: 14 pages
• Grant Number(s): 15PNIJ-22-GG-04440-RESS; 2019-DU-BX-0024
• Agencies: NIJ-Sponsored
• Publication Type: Research (Applied/Empirical)

Annotation

This publication discusses the development of aptamer-based colorimetric opioid tests.

Abstract

In this work, researchers develop on-site sensors for morphine and structurally related opioid compounds based on in vitro-selected oligonucleotide affinity reagents known as aptamers. The study employs a parallel-and-serial selection strategy to isolate aptamers that recognize heroin, morphine, codeine, hydrocodone, and hydromorphone, along with a toggle-selection approach to isolate aptamers that bind oxycodone and oxymorphone. Researchers then utilize a new high-throughput sequencing-based approach to examine aptamer growth patterns over the course of selection and a high-throughput exonuclease-based screening assay to identify optimal aptamer candidates. Finally, researchers use two high-performance aptamers with KD of ∼1 μM to develop colorimetric dye-displacement assays that can specifically detect opioids like heroin and oxycodone at concentrations as low as 0.5 μM with a linear range of 0–16 μM. Importantly, the assays can detect opioids in complex chemical matrices, including pharmaceutical tablets and drug mixtures; in contrast, the conventional Marquis test completely fails in this context. These aptamer-based colorimetric assays enable the naked-eye identification of specific opioids within seconds and will play an important role in combatting opioid abuse. Opioids collectively cause over 80,000 deaths in the United States annually. The ability to rapidly identify these compounds in seized drug samples on-site will be essential for curtailing trafficking and distribution. Chemical reagent-based tests are fast and simple but also notorious for giving false results due to poor specificity, whereas portable Raman spectrometers have excellent selectivity but often face interference challenges with impure drug samples. (Published Abstract Provided)