# Rapid Assessment of Drug Abuse from Municipal Wastewater by Smart Surface-Enhanced Raman Scattering Technique

> **NIH NIH R41** · E-LAMBDA LLC · 2020 · $252,130

## Abstract

Rapid Assessment of Drug Abuse from Municipal Wastewater by Smart Surface-Enhanced Raman
 Scattering Technique
PROJECT SUMMARY
Rapid assessment of drug abuse from municipal wastewater is a new strategy that can overcome
many limitations of traditional surveillance technologies by providing a more rapid and objective
measure of drug use, which can alert communities about raising problems in their earlier stage.
However, existing detection techniques are almost exclusively based on complex laboratory
chemistry analytical equipment such as high-performance liquid chromatography in tandem with
mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS), which demand tedious sample preparation with expensive
reagents and substantive operator expertise. These methods are ill-suited to large scale, frequent
monitoring of illicit drugs in municipal wastewater. In this NIH STTR Phase I proposal, E-Lambda
LLC together with Oregon State University proposes to develop a rapid, portable, quantitative,
and cost-effective assessment technique using smart surface-enhanced Raman scattering (S-
SERS). The proposed S-SERS is a disruptive technique enabled by two game-changing
innovations in the PI’s research group, targeting practical technical hurdles of portable SERS
sensing technique for rapid assessment of drug abuse from municipal wastewater. First, the
diatomaceous SERS substrates, which are developed through previously funded research
projects, will provide ultra-sensitive, uniform SERS enhancement factors to detect trace level
of illicit drugs and the metabolic products using commercial portable Raman spectrometers.
Second, advanced machine-learning methods based on quaternion principal components
analysis and support vector regression algorithms, will resolve the grand challenges faced by
traditional SERS analysis in quantitative sensing. The proposed S-SERS technique is expected
to enable quantitative, multi-drug detection including opioid analgesics such as fentanyl, morphine,
codeine, heroin, amphetamine, and other synthetic derivatives from municipal wastewater. The
new wastewater testing technology proposed herein could provide a widespread and objective
picture of drug use that would be consistent, scalable, cost-effective, and complement other
epidemiological studies. The team will also work with multiple stakeholders including Benton
County Health Department, City of Corvallis, and Oregon State University Accelerator to
demonstrate a clear value proposition of the S-SERS technology for rapid assessment of drug
abuse from municipal wastewater.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9988694
- **Project number:** 1R41DA051094-01
- **Recipient organization:** E-LAMBDA LLC
- **Principal Investigator:** Alan X Wang
- **Activity code:** R41 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $252,130
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2020-04-01 → 2022-12-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9988694

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9988694, Rapid Assessment of Drug Abuse from Municipal Wastewater by Smart Surface-Enhanced Raman Scattering Technique (1R41DA051094-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-06-12 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9988694. Licensed CC0.

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