The vision to bring academic partners, companies and end-users together, has been very successful. In the beginning of the project, a survey was sent out among end-users to obtain insights in the target drugs and specifications of the prototype. From this survey, it became clear that different desires exist among the end-users, which has ultimately led to the development of three different devices.
A first device, the single sensors, targets a specific single drug, which is especially desired in situations where the presence of an expected drug needs to be confirmed. This solution works locally and prioritizes speed and (low) price. Intensive research was conducted to unravel the electrochemical behaviour of the target drugs, their cutting agents, and precursors.
A second solution, the multidrug sensor, targets multiple drugs at once in a single test. All aspects of this sensor were developed within this project, including user-friendly sampling procedure, customized hardware, customized screen-printed electrodes with nanomaterial-based electrode modification, tailor-made online platform and multivariate data analysis software. Furthermore, all these different aspects were integrated into a single, overall sensor.
The first and second solution prioritize selectivity over sensitivity, since typically plenty of sample is available for analysis in drug seizures. However, certain scenarios require sensors with an increased sensitivity (and selectivity), e.g. detection of illicit drugs in biofluids for roadside testing.
A third solution was developed specifically for this purpose, employing molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs).
In terms of scientific outcomes, 32 scientific articles have been published in ISI journals, with impact factors between 2.676 and 12.296 and presented in 36 national and international events where the outcomes of the project were shown through oral presentations, posters, promotional material, workshops, etc. Furthermore, collaborations with 14 relevant stakeholders have been established. Regarding protection of IP, 18 separate knowledge output (KO) entries have been created in the knowledge management file created at the beginning of the project to ensure where the IP was generated and to thus avoid conflicts in IP distribution.
For the multidrug sensor, the UA team followed a 7-day intensive business course to develop a business model and to assess the feasibility and viability of a BorderSens spin-off. It was decided to focus on the supply reduction market as the beachhead market. The ‘razor and blades’ business model was chosen, which means that one basic product (the device including the potentiostat and connector) is sold at a reduced price (€2000) to lower the financial barrier for the customer while a complementary good (the consumable) is sold at higher margins (€12). An estimated €700.000 investment would be needed to take off. However, talks with the technical partners made clear that there is consensus that the BorderSens array is not yet ready to be commercialized. It is estimated that the TRL is around 5, which is too low for successful commercialization. Nevertheless, the technical partners agree that the technology holds high potential, and there is a clear drive to proceed with follow-up projects to bring the technology to a higher level so that it can be commercialized.
Concerning the single sensors, there are several patents owned by UA that protect the technology. Therefore, a licensing trajectory was explored since September 2021. UA will continue the efforts to find a suitable licensing partner. Currently, UA provides single sensors to interested end-users via research collaboration agreements.
For the MIP sensors, the technology is owned by ULEIC. ULEIC is not only exploring the application of the sensors for illicit drug supply reduction, but also for medical applications of amphetamine detection. ULEIC is interested in licensing technology to companies.
