Grants and Contributions:

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Title:

Development of an electrochemical biosensor for psychoactive metabolites of marijuana

Agreement Number:

CRDPJ

Agreement Value:

$225,000.00

Agreement Date:

Oct 18, 2017 -

Organization:

Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada

Location:

Alberta, CA

Reference Number:

GC-2017-Q3-00325

Agreement Type:

Grant

Report Type:

Grants and Contributions

Additional Information:

Grant or Award spanning more than one fiscal year (2017-2018 to 2020-2021).

Recipient's Legal Name:

MacCallum, Justin (University of Calgary)

Program:

Collaborative Research and Development Grants - Project

Program Purpose:

Impaired driving remains an unfortunately common occurrence with a major impact on Canadians. The rate of drunk driving has steadily fallen since the mid-1980s, driven in part by the development of rapid, reliable, and portable breath alcohol testing devices. However, estimates suggest that, during weekends, up to 20 percent of drivers are impaired due to the use of recreational or prescription drugs, for which there are currently no practical roadside tests. This is a particularly relevant challenge now due to the impending legalization of marijuana in Canada.x000D
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This proposal addresses the pressing need to develop a roadside marijuana sensor. The project combines the sensitivity afforded by optimized electrochemistry with the exquisite specificity of protein engineering. Our industrial partner, Alcohol Countermeasure Systems (ACS), is a world-leader in the development of alcohol breath sensors. The development of a sensitive, specific roadside test for marijuana would would provide law enforcement with new tools to ensure the safety of Canada's roads and would establish ACS and Canada as an international leader in this emerging sector.x000D
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