The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) laboratory at the National Center for Environmental Health is collaborating with public, private, and academic laboratories to respond to the opioid overdose epidemic. Some states are leveraging the Laboratory Response Network for Chemical Threats (LRN-C) infrastructure to respond to the epidemic. The webinar will cover performance of screening immunoassays, with highlights on cross-reactivity gaps in contrast to fentanyl chemical structure. Traceable Opioid Material* Kits (TOM Kits*), developed by CDC, will be described. These kits have been designed to measure fentanyl-like compounds reported in the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) Emerging Threat Reports. CDC is sharing these reference kits with public, private, and academic laboratories in order to encourage more consistent laboratory measurements across the United States.
*Traceable Opioid Material, TOM Kits, and the TOM Kits logo are marks of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Detailed Learning Objectives:
- How to contact the national LRN-C
- How immunoassays have varying sensitivities for fentanyl analog
- How DEA registered laboratories can obtain free fentanyl reference materials (TOM Kits*)
Speakers:
Dr. Rudolph Johnson