Just Science: Just Another Method for Detecting Fentanyl

In episode one of the 2020 R&D Season, Just Science interviews Dr. Ling Wang, post-doctoral associate at Florida International University, about the detection and quantitation of fentanyl mixtures by Surface Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy and Chemometrics. Opioid abuse has grown considerably in the last few years. New fentanyl analogs appear in street drugs at an alarming rate. Researchers like Dr. Wang are working to create alternative screening methods to detect the ever-evolving fentanyl compounds in today’s seized drugs. Listen along as she discusses graduate programs, the nuances of analyzing fentanyl, and her work in the detection and quantitation of emerging drug compounds in this episode of Just Science. This episode of Just Science is funded by the National Institute of Justice’s Forensic Technology Center of Excellence [Award 2016-MU-BX-K110].

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Dr. Ling Wang is a postdoctoral associate in Dr. Bruce McCord’s lab at Florida International University (FIU) in Miami, Florida USA.  Dr. Wang obtained her Ph.D. in 2017 in Chemistry in Forensic Track and MSFS at FIU. Since her Ph.D. program, she has worked on seized drug analysis with chemosensors, biosensors, colorimetric reagents, Surface-Enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS), and electrochemistry.  Presently, she is working on the development of new electrochemical sensors and platforms for opioid detection as well as a new project involving the use of microwave based extraction methods for rapid DNA analysis.  Dr. Wang has published 4 peer reviewed papers and has presented her work in a variety of national and international venues including Pittcon, AAFS, Florida ACS and nanoFlorida.