Turkish chemist plans to deal fatal blow to illicit medicine industry with her invention
ISTANBUL
A Turkish scientist has designed a new tool that can identify smaller concentrations of drug powders within 20 seconds with an infrared light technology.
The tool could provide law-enforcement officers and forensic chemists a quick and accurate way to identify illicit drugs or narcotic substances.
The artificial intelligence-supported and cloud-based system of the chemist Derya Cebeci, who returned to Turkey from the U.S., is expected to be activated this year.
The technology developed by Cebeci can detect the content of drugs within 20 seconds, just like reading a barcode.
Pointing out that 1 million people die every year in the world due to uncontrolled products such as fake cancer drugs or fake cough syrups containing antifreeze, Cebeci stressed that this technology can also be used in the analysis of COVID-19 vaccines.
The Turkish chemist thinks that the counterfeit medicine market, which is worth $400 billion across the world, could be hit hard with this system.
The detection process is carried out without producing any chemical waste and without any consumption costs, according to the scientist.
Portable, simple to use, and cost-effective, the technology also will be used by the Health Ministry and the Police Department in Turkey, as well as by Interpol, European Medicines Agency (EMA), the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and various international customs firms around the world, said Demirören News Agency.
