Federal Grant Award Summary

The National Institute on Drug Abuse awarded SKM Instruments, Inc. a $314,317 Project Grant under the Drug Use and Addiction Research Programs (CFDA 93.279) effective July 1, 2026, with completion targeted for January 31, 2027. The project deliverable is a low-cost, portable Surface-Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy (SERS)-based detection platform designed for rapid identification and quantification of synthetic opioids and emerging psychoactive substances in urine samples. The technology integrates three core innovations: a SERS-active lateral flow cartridge that processes samples using thin-layer chromatography with embedded nanoparticles for enhanced sensitivity detection; a portable, low-cost Fourier Transform Raman instrument engineered for field deployment; and a label-free analytical approach that directly measures drug molecular signatures without requiring biological recognition elements such as antibodies or aptamers.

This platform addresses critical gaps in current drug detection capabilities by offering performance comparable to liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry while substantially reducing costs, improving portability, and enabling deployment in resource-limited settings such as rural health clinics, emergency departments, and harm reduction centers. The label-free SERS methodology eliminates shelf-life constraints and storage requirements, allowing rapid adaptation to newly emerging drugs where specific detection reagents are unavailable. Research and development activities are being conducted at the awardee's Laramie, Wyoming facility.