Dr. Chris Gill (right), the lead developer of a new drug detection technology, presents his work to government and VIU officials after the province announced $305,000 in funding to expand its use. (Spencer Sterritt/NanaimoNewsNOW)

By Spencer Sterritt

better awareness

Lifesaving new drug-checking equipment from VIU funded by the province

Aug 17, 2021 | 10:10 AM

NANAIMO – An easier, safer, more advanced way of testing the toxicity of drugs will soon be more readily available.

Sheila Malcolmson, Nanaimo’s MLA and minister of mental health and addictions, announced $305,000 in provincial funding on Tuesday, Aug. 17, for HarmCheck, a developing technology which can quickly identify substances such as fentanyl and carfentanil in street drugs.

The mass spectronomy technology was developed in recent years by Dr. Chris Gill and his team at VIU in Nanaimo and involves testing a tiny sample of a drug for known contaminants before a person uses them.

“[The technology] not only identifies various types of fentanyl, benzodiazepines and other toxins that are in drug supplies, but it does it quickly, does it sensitively and provides information about how much,” Dr. Gill said. “This was a missing key component in early drug testing both here and elsewhere on the planet.”

The provincial funding will further solidify a pilot project in Victoria by covering set up costs, site upgrades and staffing to help increase access to the technology on a more regular basis.

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The HarmCheck technology has already tested nearly 2,000 samples in Victoria during clinics held once per week.

Armin Saatchi, a graduate student who worked alongside Dr. Gill in creation of the technology, said the work was immensely important to help users of street drugs.

“People can make informed decisions about how much, when and with whom they use the substances. In the future, the idea is accountability and a demonstration of the inherent variability in an unregulated and unsafe supply.”

Saatchi, a recovering addict who has been clean for nearly 10 years, added he wouldn’t have had the opportunity to help create this new test without multiple chances from his parents and private treatment.

“These chances in the current environment of illicit street substances are no longer a guarantee, even for those who can afford them privately. The unregulated and unsafe supply of street substances robs those chances. Our instrument can quantify the components of street substances on site where the most vulnerable people can access it.”

The machine can test tiny quantities of street drugs and within two minutes, provide a read out of exactly what the sample contains, including identifying dangerous opioids. (Spencer Sterritt/NanaimoNewsNOW)

Saatchi said he hopes the machines will be installed at many sites across the province as fast as funding will allow.

“The better this technology gets…the easier it is to implement widespread. Hopefully we achieve a safe supply and curtail the unspeakable tragedy which is going on, but in the meantime this technology can provide the information people desperately need.”

The equipment was first profiled by NanaimoNewsNOW in late 2018 but then sat relatively unused and unfunded on a shelf.

In early 2021, Dr. Gill expressed surprise and disappointment there was “limited intake in terms of people wanting to put dollars forward.”

Since Dr. Gill’s research was first unveiled in the fall of 2018, nearly 4,000 people have fatally overdosed in B.C.

Malcolmson, when asked by NanaimoNewsNOW about what took so long to fund the project, said she first received a proposal from VIU for the project only a few months before and it was funded shortly after.

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spencer@nanaimonewsnow.com

On Twitter: @SpencerSterritt