{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,11,6]],"date-time":"2026-11-06T19:47:38Z","timestamp":1793994458938,"version":"4.8.0"},"reference-count":18,"publisher":"Frontiers Media SA","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,6,10]],"date-time":"2025-06-10T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1749513600000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["frontiersin.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Front. Chem."],"abstract":"<jats:sec><jats:title>Indroduction<\/jats:title><jats:p>The escalating incidence of drug-related crimes requires rapid and reliable forensic methods for drug screening.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Methods<\/jats:title><jats:p>This study develops and optimizes a rapid Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS) method that significantly reduces the total analysis time from 30 to 10 minutes, facilitating faster judicial processes and law enforcement responses. Enhanced by optimizing temperature programming and operational parameters, the method efficiently shortens the run time while ensuring the accuracy essential for forensic applications.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Results<\/jats:title><jats:p>Through systematic validation, the method demonstrated a limit of detection improvement by at least 50% for key substances such as Cocaine and Heroin, achieving detection thresholds as low as 1 \u03bcg\/mL for Cocaine compared to 2.5 \u03bcg\/mL with conventional method. Additionally, the method exhibited excellent repeatability and reproducibility with relative standard deviations (RSDs) less than 0.25% for stable compounds under operational conditions. Applied to 20 real case samples from Dubai Police Forensic Labs, the rapid GC-MS method accurately identified diverse drug classes, including synthetic opioids and stimulants, with match quality scores consistently exceeding 90% across tested concentrations.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Conclusion<\/jats:title><jats:p>The method effectively reduces forensic backlogs, facilitating faster and more reliable drug screening essential for judicial processes.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.3389\/fchem.2025.1559279","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,6,10]],"date-time":"2025-06-10T05:23:50Z","timestamp":1749533030000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":11,"title":["Rapid GC-MS method for screening seized drugs in forensic investigations: optimization and validation"],"prefix":"10.3389","volume":"13","author":[{"given":"Asma M.","family":"Askar","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Auhood Y.","family":"Al Ali","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Meera K.","family":"Khalifa","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Ali A.","family":"Salem","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Buthaina M.","family":"Alkhuwaildi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Iltaf","family":"Shah","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1965","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,6,10]]},"reference":[{"key":"B1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"e4976","DOI":"10.1002\/jms.4976","article-title":"Rapid analysis of amphetamine\u2010type substances using agilent's QuickProbe gas chromatograph\/mass spectrometer technology","volume":"58","author":"Black","year":"2023","journal-title":"J. Mass Spectrom."},{"key":"B2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"100479","DOI":"10.1016\/j.forc.2023.100479","article-title":"Development and validation of a rapid GC\u2013MS method for seized drug screening","volume":"33","author":"Bloom","year":"2023","journal-title":"Forensic Chem."},{"key":"B3","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"100435","DOI":"10.1016\/j.forc.2022.100435","article-title":"Rapid GC\u2013MS as a screening tool for forensic fire debris analysis","volume":"30","author":"Capistran","year":"2022","journal-title":"Forensic Chem."},{"key":"B4","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"100609","DOI":"10.1016\/j.forc.2024.100609","article-title":"Validation of a rapid GC\u2013MS method for forensic seized drug screening applications","volume":"41","author":"Capistran","year":"2024","journal-title":"Forensic Chem."},{"key":"B5","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"111597","DOI":"10.1016\/j.forsciint.2023.111597","article-title":"An overview of new psychoactive substances (NPS) in northeast Brazil: NMR-based identification and analysis of ecstasy tablets by GC-MS","volume":"344","author":"Cunha","year":"2023","journal-title":"Forensic Sci. Int."},{"key":"B6","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"e15479","DOI":"10.1016\/j.heliyon.2023.e15479","article-title":"Quantification of 7 cannabinoids in cannabis oil using GC-MS: method development, validation and application to therapeutic preparations in friuli venezia giulia region, Italy","volume":"9","author":"Franzin","year":"2023","journal-title":"Heliyon"},{"key":"B7","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"100622","DOI":"10.1016\/j.forc.2024.100622","article-title":"Application of GC\u2013MS retention index in forensic routine","volume":"41","author":"J\u00fanior","year":"2024","journal-title":"Forensic Chem."},{"key":"B8","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"100349","DOI":"10.1016\/j.forc.2021.100349","article-title":"The differentiation of synthetic cathinone isomers using GC-EI-MS and multivariate analysis","volume":"26","author":"Liliedahl","year":"2021","journal-title":"Forensic Chem."},{"key":"B9","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"107212","DOI":"10.1016\/j.vascn.2022.107212","article-title":"Amphetamine, methamphetamine, and MDMA in hair samples from a rehabilitation facility: validation and applicability of HF-LPME-GC-MS","volume":"119","author":"Madia","year":"2022","journal-title":"J. Pharmacol. Toxicol. Methods"},{"key":"B10","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"102962","DOI":"10.1016\/j.mex.2024.102962","article-title":"Enhancement and validation of a quantitative GC\u2013MS method for the detection of \u22069-THC and THC COOH in postmortem blood and urine samples","volume":"13","author":"Paknahad","year":"2024","journal-title":"MethodsX"},{"key":"B11","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"100612","DOI":"10.1016\/j.forc.2024.100612","article-title":"Development and validation of a forensic workflow for the complete profiling of illicit drugs and excipients","volume":"41","author":"Radke","year":"2024","journal-title":"Forensic Chem."},{"key":"B12","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"106","DOI":"10.1186\/s13065-019-0627-2","article-title":"A review of bioanalytical techniques for evaluation of cannabis (Marijuana, weed, Hashish) in human hair","volume":"13","author":"Shah","year":"2019","journal-title":"BMC Chem."},{"key":"B13","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"287","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jpha.2021.08.004","article-title":"Analysis of docosanol using GC\/MS: method development, validation, and application to ex vivo human skin permeation studies","volume":"12","author":"Shankar","year":"2021","journal-title":"J. Pharm. Analysis"},{"key":"B14","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","DOI":"10.1111\/1556-4029.14877","volume-title":"Development and evaluation of a synthetic opioid targeted gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GC\u2010MS) method","author":"Sisco","year":"2021"},{"key":"B15","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"5717","DOI":"10.3390\/molecules29235717","article-title":"Forensic aspects of designer LSD analogs identification by GC\u2013MS (EI) and UV spectroscopy","volume":"29","author":"Tusiewicz","year":"2024","journal-title":"Molecules"},{"key":"B16","volume-title":"Guidance for the validation of analytical methodology and calibration of equipment used for testing of illicit drugs in seized materials and biological specimens: a commitment to quality and continuous improvement","year":"2009"},{"key":"B17","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"42","DOI":"10.1007\/s11419-019-00485-y","article-title":"Development and validation of a GC\u2013MS\/MS method for the determination of 11 amphetamines and 34 synthetic cathinones in whole blood","volume":"38","author":"Wo\u017aniak","year":"2020","journal-title":"Forensic Toxicol."},{"key":"B18","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"465485","DOI":"10.1016\/j.chroma.2024.465485","article-title":"Rapid on-site detection of illicit drugs in urine using C18 pipette-tip based solid-phase extraction coupled with a miniaturized mass spectrometer","volume":"1738","author":"Wu","year":"2024","journal-title":"J. Chromatogr. A"}],"container-title":["Frontiers in Chemistry"],"original-title":[],"link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/www.frontiersin.org\/articles\/10.3389\/fchem.2025.1559279\/full","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2025,6,10]],"date-time":"2025-06-10T05:23:52Z","timestamp":1749533032000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/www.frontiersin.org\/articles\/10.3389\/fchem.2025.1559279\/full"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2025,6,10]]},"references-count":18,"alternative-id":["10.3389\/fchem.2025.1559279"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/fchem.2025.1559279","relation":{},"ISSN":["2296-2646"],"issn-type":[{"value":"2296-2646","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2025,6,10]]},"article-number":"1559279"}}