Opioid sensing at point-of-need

The opioid epidemic—headlined by synthetic fentanyl—is a growing international crisis. NIST has been tasked with leading the analytical effort to better understand the evolving illicit drug landscape. We describe initiatives to advance portable mass spectrometry and develop metamaterial-enhanced spectroscopy, integrated with advanced modeling. Together, these programs support a comprehensive strategy that emphasizes measurement science and data standardization as essential tools for combating the growing threat of synthetic opioids.