To enhance the efforts of the Philippine government in identifying, controlling and neutralizing drug abuse, the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) announced on Tuesday, November 12, that the University of the Philippines (UP) has upgraded its Drug of Abuse Research Laboratory ( DARL ).

“CHED recognizes UP Manila’s expertise in chemical and health sciences, and we want this expertise to serve the government,” CHED Secretary Popoy De Vera said in a statement.

De Vera and UP Manila Chancellor Michael Tee unveiled the marker for the UP DARL and inspected the new device provided to the university.

CHED explained that UP DARL is now using advanced equipment, currently exclusive to the UP Manila College of Pharmacy, to identify a wider range of drug compounds, including new party drugs, in real time. This upgrade aims to improve the illegal drug testing capabilities of law enforcement agencies.

“UP DARL will provide information to help the government better address the drug problem in the country by considering a public health and human rights approach,” said De Vera.

Tee, on behalf of UP Manila, thanked CHED for supporting the establishment of DARL.

“More than just a drug testing lab, it will serve as a teaching and learning facility where future experts will be trained,” Tee said.

“We hope that through this, we can help replicate the experience in regional centers and other state colleges and universities so that they too can help our government in the fight against the proliferation of illegal drugs,” he added.

Project financed by CHED

Through the CHED-Philippines-California Advanced Research Institutes (CHED-PCARI) program, the Commission allocated P160,632,193.76 million to support capacity building and equipment acquisition for UP DARL.

CHED has invested a total of 112,608,000 million lei to provide various equipment that will help identify drug abuse, including new psychoactive substances.

The lab can now identify 110 types of drug compounds, compared to existing test kits that can only detect 10 types. This update also cuts the wait time for test results from weeks to just a day.

The lab uses liquid chromatography-quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (LC-QTOF/MS) to analyze new designer drugs in hair samples and a point-of-care (POCT) device to test for the presence of new substances selected psychoactives. in urine samples.

UP DARL’s research and clinical results could also help law enforcement agencies more accurately identify drugs whose supply needs to be curtailed.

CHED also noted that UP DARL’s active collaboration with health agencies, clinical and forensic toxicologists, and addiction medicine specialists will play a key role in the effective management of existing drug abuse cases.

The expertise of the academy

De Vera noted that the program is “an example of the academy’s expertise in the service of government.”

“As I have consistently reiterated during my speeches at UP — UP can only truly achieve its mandate as a national university and prove its reputation as a top university in the country if it is willing to translate its intelligence, skills and excellence into concrete. action that will help the government make a transformative impact on the lives of the Filipino people,” he added.

Since 2019, UP DARL has used various technologies to identify drugs of abuse and supported law enforcement agencies, including the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).