Joseph E Carpenter

US Patent:

20060040406, Feb 23, 2006

Filed:

Jul 14, 2004

Appl. No.:

10/890823

Inventors:

David Schneider - Louisville CO, US
Paul Sargeant - Broomfield CO, US
Joseph Carpenter - Golden CO, US

International Classification:

G01N 33/558

US Classification:

436514000

Abstract:

A device and method for testing the contents of a sample of a controlled substance to confirm the presence or absence of the controlled substance within that sample. In one implementation, the device and method utilize antibodies designed to interact with one or more anesthetics, e.g., opioid analgesics. The antibodies may be tagged (e.g., attached to a colored marker) to allow for optically identifying the occurrence of an antibody reaction with an antigen (e.g., associated with a given anesthetic) within a sample. The antibody/antigen reaction may be implemented in connection with a number of different devices, including fluid drop testers and thin layer chromatographic systems. In addition to the presence of a anesthetic in a given sample, the inventive device may identify the concentration of the anesthetic in order to identify diluted samples. In this manner, handling of anesthetics in connection with medical procedures, including transfer of custody and wasting, can be better monitored, for example, to inhibit diversion of anesthetics and reduce associated medical and legal concerns.