The TIAFT NPS Committee was created in 2018 with the overall purpose and scope of acting as a conduit and source of information pertaining to the toxicological analysis and interpretation of NPS (new/novel psychoactive substances) for TIAFT members and external organisations to support the aims of the TIAFT organization by promoting cooperation, discussion and the exchange of ideas.
Aims of the Committee
The NPS Committee has some key aims and objectives:
- UNODC collaboration and Tox Portal promotion, awareness and support (www.unodc.org/tox)
- assist co-ordinating, networking and collaboration of NPS committees
- monitor NPS trends and produce Bulletin articles when appropriate
- provide guidance and advice concerning NPS where required
Within these, the NPS Committee will (as appropriate):
- Adopt, coordinate and/or develop evidence-based toxicologically relevant guidance in relation to NPS which may include identifying gaps in existing knowledge or practice;
- Support the work of national and international organisations within the field of NPS, including drug trends, early warning systems or equivalent;
- Collaborate with other professional organisations and committees in relation to NPS (e.g. SOFT)
- Communicate activities, accomplishments, issues and progress to the TIAFT Board and in conjunction with other TIAFT Committees, as required;
- Collate and highlight to members NPS updates to assist in the provision of analytical testing scopes and providing individual drug monographs of NPS (e.g. as a bulletin article)
HighResNPS
The TIAFT NPS Committee operates the HighResNPS database as a service for TIAFT members and other toxicologists around the world. HighResNPS is a crowd-sourced, high-resolution mass spectral database designed specifically for new psychoactive substances (NPS). The database assists laboratories to maintain a contemporary NPS suspect screening capability in the challenging and continually changing NPS landscape. The committee is grateful for the hard work of Petur Dalsgaard for developing HighResNPS.
Current Committee
The NPS Committee consists of:
Chair
Svante Vikingsson (United States)
Svante is a Forensic Scientist at RTI International and previously served as a Researcher and Toxicologist with the National Board of Forensic Medicine and Linköping University, both in Sweden. His main research focus is Novel Psychoactive Substances (NPS, and his work includes using high resolution mass spectrometry to identify metabolite markers of drug use in urine as well as the development of in vitro assays to determine drug potency. He is also an advocate of empowering laboratories to improve their processes by providing information and supporting discussions on best practices. Other research interests include analytical methodology and drug test subversion.
He is a founding member of the NPS Committee and has been the chair since 2022. He is also a member of the Communications Committee and a member of the SOFT NPS Committee. Svante has authored over 50 scientific articles and book chapters as well as over 40 conference abstracts. He has also been a speaker in several symposia and workshops related to forensic toxicology. In 2016 he received the Young Scientists Award for Best Oral Presentation at the TIAFT annual meeting in Brisbane, and in 2019 the Experimental Design and Impact on Toxicology (EDIT) award at the SOFT annual meeting in San Antonio.