What the spit? TalTech spin-off aids police with on-the-spot drug testing

What the spit? TalTech spin-off aids police with on-the-spot drug testing. 15.10.2025. While drug testing has so far required either lab analysis or imprecise rapid tests, Drug Hunter offers law enforcement a fast and accurate solution that can be used directly in a police van or station. „The foundation’s support confirms the quality and relevance of our scientific work and its practical application,“ said SafePAS co-founder and TalTech School of Science assistant professor of innovative analytics at the Department of Chemistry and Biotechnology, Jekaterina Mazina-Šinkar. A scientific breakthrough born from police need Behind SafePAS lies years of scientific research and development. Mazina-Šinkar said that her doctoral thesis focused on detecting narcotic substances in biological samples and developing new rapid analysis methods. However, the idea for the new device wasn’t born behind a lab bench, but out of a practical police need: „The police turned to the university because existing screening tests weren’t reliable enough.“ The first prototypes were completed nearly a decade ago, in 2015. The following years were dedicated to development, testing, and negotiations. The recently received EIS grant gives the company an opportunity to develop a more portable mini-version of the Drug Hunter that can be used directly in a police car. „The goal is to enable testing quickly and anywhere, not just in a station or a large police van,“ said Mazina-Šinkar. Although the Estonian Police are currently the only paying customer for Drug Hunter, the funding is expected to help conquer markets in other countries as well. Mazina-Šinkar said partners have already been found in Lithuania and the Czech Republic, and potential collaborators exist in Israel and Turkey. Over the next 12–18 months, the focus will shift to the European market – primarily the Baltic states, Poland, the United Kingdom, and France. The grant doesn’t just cover development and marketing. It also includes mapping out production to make the process faster and more efficient, reducing the current delivery time of approximately six months. „The goal is to enable testing quickly and anywhere, not just in a station or a large police van.” Clarity in minutes, not months Today’s patrols conduct rapid tests using pregnancy-style strips. These only hint at the class of substance used but don’t reveal the exact drug or its concentration in the body. The results are often inaccurate – depending on the test, false positives occur in 20–40% of cases. This means a completely sober person can fall under suspicion, their drive interrupted, and they are sent for forensic analysis. Then comes the wait. While queues in Estonia are shorter than in some other countries, they can still stretch into months. In the meantime, the person cannot drive and remains in uncertainty. If the test later proves negative, the police cover the cost; if positive, it’s paid by the offender. SafePas’s device makes testing significantly more accurate. „It measures not only the presence of a substance in the body, but also the quantity – how much of the illegal substance is actually present in saliva. A quantitative result also allows estimation of the time of use: if the level is high, the substance was used recently; if low, it could be residue from several days ago.“ Time is a crucial indicator for the police, as it helps decide whether a person should be sent for further analysis at all. SafePas doesn’t replace the lab but enables a large share of cases to be resolved on the spot – only new or complex substances would still require confirmatory lab testing. This means fewer false positives and unnecessary analyses, and in the broader picture, major time savings and more efficient use of resources – for both the police and those being tested. „It measures not only the presence of a substance in the body, but also the quantity – how much of the illegal substance is actually present in saliva. A quantitative result also allows estimation of the time of use: if the level is high, the substance was used recently; if low, it could be residue from several days ago.“ Time as the most valuable resource Mazina-Šinkar admitted that the journey of building a spin-off hasn’t been easy. Looking back, she shared an important lesson: time is the most critical resource. „You can’t do everything at once – you have to decide what really matters and move forward step by step.“ She acknowledged that in deep tech, progress inevitably takes time. On one hand, scientific validation is required; on the other, a working product and regulatory compliance – and these three factors never move in sync. According to Mazina-Šinkar, success in deep tech is only possible with patience and clearly defined priorities. What she found most nerve-wracking wasn’t the scientific or technological side, but the administrative burden that comes with founding a spin-off – intellectual property agreements, documentation, negotiations, and waiting: „These processes can take years. The paperwork phase is tough because from the outside, it may look like nothing is happening.“ Mazina-Šinkar admitted there were moments when she wanted to give up. „But then you realize that if you quit, no one else will carry the idea through to the end.“ She says it’s exactly these realizations that have taught her perseverance and the ability to defend her ideas – a skill that’s essential in entrepreneurship every single day. „You can’t do everything at once – you have to decide what really matters and move forward step by step.“ Comment. Andres Kirsing, Head of the Criminal Procedure Group at the Development Department of the Police and Border Guard Board The joint project between Drug Hunter and TalTech first came to our table in 2020. The scientists’ goal was to develop a drug analyzer based on laboratory-grade results, which could be used by the Estonian police to detect narcotic use and intoxication. Our role was to provide feedback to the project initiators and offer development ideas, which is why we tested the devices in real-life scenarios. Active testing of the new tool took place from 2021 to the first half of 2022. We assessed the device’s effectiveness at major events in Estonia (such as festivals), as well as during traffic surveillance operations. The results of the Drug Hunter analyzer were used in criminal proceedings for the first time in July 2022. At the end of the project, two Drug Hunter analyzers were handed over to the Estonian police. These devices are more convenient to use than rapid tests. Drug Hunter is based on capillary electrophoresis (CE) technology, which can detect the presence of narcotic substances in saliva samples in under five minutes. Unlike traditional methods (i.e. one-time indicator tools or saliva strip tests), which require complex lab analysis and often produce false positives, the new device is both simple and accurate – today’s rapid tests simply don’t measure up to this technology. People also tend to trust tech-based solutions more than traditional strip tests. There was one case during a police operation where we tested a driver’s sobriety, and the rapid test indicated cocaine use. Although the driver initially denied taking drugs, and to confirm the result we would normally have had to go to a hospital for testing, we offered him the option of a follow-up test using Drug Hunter. The man agreed to the technology-based test, and when it again came back positive, he had to admit that there was no point arguing with the technology and confessed to use. In this way, Drug Hunter significantly shortened the entire procedure. Additionally, at the end of the test, a summary is printed listing the substances detected in the saliva, including drugs. This printout is immediately added to the evidence in the criminal case file. Unlike traditional methods (i.e. one-time indicator tools or saliva strip tests), which require complex lab analysis and often produce false positives, the new device is both simple and accurate – today’s rapid tests simply don’t measure up to this technology.