THE LONG-TERM OBJECTIVE OF THIS WORK IS TO DEVELOP A RAPID, COLORIMETRIC, NON-INSTRUMENT-DEPENDENT ASSAY FOR PSYCHOACTIVE MARIJUANA CONSTITUENTS, NOTABLY 9-TETRAHYDROCANNIBINOL.

THE LONG-TERM OBJECTIVE OF THIS WORK IS TO DEVELOP A RAPID, COLORIMETRIC, NON-INSTRUMENT-DEPENDENT ASSAY FOR PSYCHOACTIVE MARIJUANA CONSTITUENTS, NOTABLY 9-TETRAHYDROCANNIBINOL. GENESIS LABS' ""IMMUNOSTRIP'' ASSAY (PROTECTED BY PATENT) IS CONSTRUCTED IN A CONFIGURATION THAT IS APPLICABLE FOR THE RAPID DETECTION OF DRUGS AND METABOLITES IN BIOLOGICAL FLUIDS (E.G., URINE, BLOOD OR SALIVA). THE RELATIVE SIMPLICITY OF THE METHOD SUGGESTS ITS EASY USE BY MEDICALLY UNSOPHISTICATED INDIVIDUALS. WE WILL ATTEMPT INITIALLY TO DETERMINE TOTAL THC METABOLITES IN URINE AT A LEVEL OF 10100NG/ML. ULTIMATELY, OUR AIM IS TO INCREASE THE SENSITIVITY OF THE ASSAY SYSTEM INTO THE 110NG/ML RANGE. THIS WILL REQUIRE THE USE OF A HAND-HELD REFLECTOMETER ($1000 PER UNIT CURRENTLY) FOR READING THE STRIPS; HOWEVER, IT IS FEASIBLE. BY VARYING THE AMOUNT OF ANTIGEN AND ENZYME-MODIFIED ANTI-THC ANTIBODY WITHIN THE IMMUNOSTRIP WE CAN PRODUCE A VISUAL ASSAY WITHIN THIS LOWER RANGE. THE ASSAY HAS MANY APPLICATIONS FOR MONITORING DRUGS OF ABUSE, INCLUDING THC, AND THEREFORE WILL HAVE A MAJOR IMPACT ON OUR KNOWLEDGE OF THE HEALTH BENEFIT/RISK RATIO WITHIN POPULATIONS OF OUR SOCIETY WHO ABUSE OR REQUIRE DRUGS. BASED ON OUR ABILITY TO MONITOR OTHER HORMONES, DRUGS, AND SMALL HAPTENS USING THIS ASSAY, WE FEEL CONFIDENT THAT IN THE FUTURE BY USING HIGHLY SPECIFIC POLYCLONAL ANTISERA OR, MORE LIKELY, MONOCLONAL ANTIBODIES, IT MAY BE POSSIBLE TO MONITOR THC AND INDIVIDUAL METABOLITES IN BLOOD OR SALIVA WHICH MIGHT REFLECT RECENT CONSUMPTION OR CHRONIC ABUSE OF THC.