| 10 Mars 2020
Stockholm, Sweden and Roseville, California, USA – March 10, 2020: Sensabues AB (“Sensabues”), a leading provider of breath collection technology for detection of drugs, doping and diseases, today announced that it has partnered with RCU Labs, Inc. (“RCU Labs”), a leader in the development of a dual-matrix test for recent cannabis use.
The partnership will see Sensabues and RCU Labs combine their respective technologies to launch the first accurate Recent Cannabis Use Test (“RCU Test”) using breath collection. The new test solves one of the most scientifically elusive issues of the cannabis industry: how to determine whether an impaired driver or employee is under the influence of cannabis.
The RCU Test is the first reliable test method to accurately determine recent cannabis use within the impairment window. The RCU Test is a practical alternative to zero-tolerance and arbitrary tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) drug level policies.
Method
RCU Labs has developed a new pharmacological testing approach based on multiple parameters involving key cannabinoids and 9-THC metabolites in blood. The results of the blood test are able to determine recent cannabis use within six hours. To enhance the confidence levels of the RCU Test, RCU Labs has incorporated a second test matrix, exhaled breath, utilizing the patented, low-cost breath collection device from Sensabues. The breath sample can be collected roadside or at an incident site, while the blood sample can be collected at the same time or, if required, up to several hours later. Both the breath and blood samples are then sent to the lab and analyzed using established instrumentation techniques such as high-resolution mass spectrometry for confirmatory data and evidential results. Overall, this dual-matrix approach yielded 100% accuracy within the impairment window following smoking in the first 44 consecutive subjects that have been studied in a clinical trial to date.
Applications
This collaboration seeks to advance the application breakthrough achieved by the RCU Test (patents pending) for law enforcement, workplace drug testing and anti-doping in sport with regard to ease of use and deployment in the field, as well as analytical accuracy in the lab. The RCU Test has obvious applications for law enforcement (roadside DUI collection), for employers investigating workplace incidents (with cause and post-accident situations) and for anti-doping in sport (in-competition testing of athletes and players).
Partnership
Under this agreement, both parties will work to offer a full suite of approved RCU all-in-one and one-time-use test kits together with the validated RCU analytical lab services. Further joint development of RCU Labs’ method is planned to extend the offering to include a definitive recent-use test for other drug groups such as stimulants and performance enhancing drugs.
John Trainor, CEO at Sensabues, said: “RCU Labs has made a major breakthrough with their recent-use test, so Sensabues is delighted to partner with such an innovative US laboratory. The increasing worldwide legalization of medicinal and recreational cannabis use has made zero-tolerance and per se limits policies impractical. The RCU Test offers for the first time a low-cost, standards-based, accurate and objective means of assessing cannabis impairment, whilst avoiding the need for costly field deployable or hand-held equipment.”
Dr. Michael DeGregorio, founder and CEO at RCU Labs, Inc., said: “The Sensabues breath collection technique is a critical addition to our RCU Test. It is the only validated and confirmatory drug testing method available on the commercial market for professional use that is quick, reliable, non-invasive and non-intrusive. Sensabues offers unique, highly differentiating and immediate technical and logistical benefits to the RCU Test. Utilizing both blood and breath testing assures that the test results are accurate while essentially eliminating the possibility of false positives. This partnership with Sensabues enables us to fill a critical unmet need in the drug testing industry.”
