Determination of drug intake day by micro-segmental hair analysis

2019 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 15K08894
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Legal medicine
• Research Institution: National Research Institute of Police Science
• Principal Investigator: Kuwayama Kenji 科学警察研究所, 法科学第三部, 主任研究官 (40356233)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): 宮口 一 科学警察研究所, 法科学第三部, 室長 (10370884)
• Project Period (FY): 2015-04-01 – 2020-03-31
• Keywords: 毛髪 / 薬物 / 質量分析

Outline of Final Research Achievements

In this study, a method to detect drugs in 0.4-mm hair segments, corresponding to the hair growth length of a day, using liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry (micro-segmental analysis) was developed. Moreover, the day of drug intake was determined using micro-segmental hair analysis based on ingestion of internal temporal markers before hair collection.

Free Research Field

薬物分析

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

従来の毛髪中薬物の分画分析では、十分な検出感度を得るために数十本の毛髪を束ねた上で数cm間隔に分画するので、数か月単位での薬物摂取時期の推定しかできなかった。単毛髪のマイクロ分画分析の開発により、被疑者の供述、被害者の記憶等によらず科学的に日数単位での薬歴を把握でき、毛髪中薬物鑑定の証明力を向上させることができる。