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Pharmacology, Toxicology and Pharmaceutics · Research topic

Open research questions in Forensic Toxicology and Drug Analysis

386 gap statements mined from Forensic Toxicology and Drug Analysis papers in our 7.9M-paper local library, which holds 2,551 papers on the topic — drawn mostly from each paper's own stated research gap, future-work, challenge and limitation notes, and its abstract. The ones listed below are a selection still marked open; each names the study that raised it, with a DOI link where the paper has one.

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What the literature leaves open

  • In comparison to the limited data previously available, which primarily concentrated on GC–MS and NMR analysis, the present study offers a more extensive investigation into the analytical characterisation of this synthetic cathinone.

    Characterisation of the designer cathinone N-isopropylbutylone by a multi-technique approach and its metabolic profiling and stability assessment using dried matrix spots · 2026 · DOI

  • As we were unable to obtain the complete method validation file retrospectively (the repeatability parameter was lacking), they were not added to the main study. Nevertheless, caution is warranted when interpreting intermediate concentrations, particularly in the presence of decomposition or unknown postmortem intervals.

    Postmortem amlodipine concentrations and postmortem redistribution: a retrospective study of 33 cases · 2026 · DOI

  • It highlights the need for targeted prevention strategies to address these challenges. The study also notes that chemsex use is increasingly reported among women, which may pose additional challenges for public health agencies.

    Patterns of Drug Use Across Social and Sexual Contexts in Spain: Insights From the European Web Survey on Drugs 2024 · 2026 · DOI

  • Further research on this area is warranted to update information and develop intervention strategies. Future research should aim to clarify which NPS are being used.

    Patterns of Drug Use Across Social and Sexual Contexts in Spain: Insights From the European Web Survey on Drugs 2024 · 2026 · DOI

  • There is a need for local data sources to identify city- and subpopulation-specific trends in stimulant use among MSM. Current programs focused on HIV prevention and care may not be sufficient to reach the 2030 goal of reducing new infections by 90%. There is a lack of understanding of the variations in stimulant use trends across different cities and subpopulations.

    Changes in Stimulant Use Over Time Among Men Who Have Sex with Men in Philadelphia, Baltimore, and Washington, DC, 2008–2023 · 2026 · DOI

  • New psychoactive substances (NPS) have emerged as a growing threat in Taiwan, yet their clinical severity compared with traditional illicit drugs (TID) remains uncertain.

    The hidden severity of new psychoactive substances: clinical evidence from emergency and intensive care admissions in Taiwan · 2026 · DOI

  • Future research should aim to improve detection methods by adapting toxicological screening procedures to keep pace with the rapid emergence of new psychoactive substances on the drug market.

    Patterns of Polydrug Use in Patients Presenting at the Emergency Department with Acute Intoxication · 2025 · DOI

  • Its systematic consideration could enhance the reliability, reproducibility, and interpretative consistency of postmortem toxicological investigations, particularly when traditional matrices are lacking.

    Evaluation of bladder wash for postmortem toxicological analysis: Comparison with urine in 50 forensic cases · 2026 · DOI

  • Moreover, no data are also available for FAs bearing dual structural modifications—both an extended propionyl chain and a methoxylated aniline moiety.

    520. In vitro Metabolism of fentanyl analogues baring extended propionyl chain: 4-Methoxybutyrylfentanyl and 4-Methoxyvalerylfentanyl · 2026 · DOI

  • This review is narrative in design and therefore subject to inherent limitations, including potential selection bias and lack of standardized synthesis.

    Analytical Methods for the Determination of Diamorphine (Heroin) in Biological Matrices: A Review · 2025 · DOI

  • These data support further study of drug use patterns during pregnancy to focus on the clinical consequences of use during the perinatal period.

    Δ 8 ‐tetrahydrocannabinol, Δ 9 ‐tetrahydrocannabinol, and cannabidiol carboxylic acid metabolites in authentic meconium samples · 2026 · DOI

  • Drug intoxication deaths increasingly fall under medicolegal jurisdiction, yet national trends in death-certificate-recorded autopsy utilization for community intoxication deaths are not well characterized.

    Death‐certificate–recorded autopsy utilization in U.S. intoxication deaths, 2003–2023: National trends, benchmark comparison, and state heterogeneity · 2026 · DOI

  • Despite public health concerns, fentanyl, cocaine, and other illicit drug contaminants remain largely understudied in unregulated cannabis.

    Evaluation of illicit drug contaminants in seized cannabis in Arizona and California, 2023–2024 · 2026 · DOI

  • Despite the frequent detection of stimulants and synthetic opioids in medicolegal death investigations, limited data exist regarding their regional distribution within the human brain.

    Distribution of amphetamine, benzoylecgonine, cocaethylene, cocaine, fentanyl, and methamphetamine in seven regions of the brain · 2026 · DOI

  • This systematization provides a necessary starting point for further investigation of individual aspects of forensic interest.

    Socio-demographic and toxicological findings from autoptic cases in a Northern Italy community (2017–2022) · 2025 · DOI

  • Although timely diagnosis and intervention have reduced fatalities, the postmortem pathological manifestations and lethal blood concentration of xylazine alone remain poorly characterized due to its common co-occurrence in toxicology with fentanyl.

    Forensic pathology and toxicological analyses: A case of fatal xylazine poisoning · 2025 · DOI

  • Based on subsequent monitoring of ELISA screens in blood, the false negative anomaly has only been identified in one specimen, and the cause remains undetermined.

    False negative ELISA screen for benzoylecgonine in blood using the Neogen® assay · 2025 · DOI

  • These alterations in drug composition pose a threat to society, as their effects are still not well understood.

    Qualitative transformations of street‐seized ecstasy over a decade: A case study in Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) · 2024 · DOI

  • The study aims to address this gap by evaluating the in vivo pharmacological effects of these compounds.

    In vivo evaluation of synthetic cannabinoid JWH-018 derivatives as potential new psychoactive substances · 2026 · DOI

  • The cases varied widely in terms of which criteria were present, making case definition challenging.

    Acute behavioural disturbance in the context of substance use: case series analysis of coroner reports · 2026 · DOI

  • These findings demonstrate that the protonation state of fentanyl is critical for eliciting eosin Y's colorimetric response, while the presence of hydrochloric acid alone does not account for the observed changes.

    Investigation of eosin Y as a colorimetric sensor for the detection of fentanyl hydrochloride and fentanyl freebase · 2026 · DOI

  • Positional isomers or non-controlled substances were frequently underreported or reported as Partial Identifications.

    Identification of controlled and non‐controlled substances by forensic laboratories: Results from a 2023 interlaboratory study · 2026 · DOI

  • However, its use in the field of post-mortem toxicology has been scarcely investigated so far.

    Phosphatidylethanol in post‐mortem blood: A comparative study of blood matrices and its stability at routine storage conditions · 2025 · DOI

  • Nitazenes: The Emergence of a Potent Synthetic Opioid Threat Joana R. P. Pereira 1,2, Alexandre Quintas 1,3 and Nuno R.

    Nitazenes: The Emergence of a Potent Synthetic Opioid Threat · 2025 · DOI

  • Hexahydrocannabinol: Review of the Chemistry and Pharmacology of an Understudied Cannabinoid.

    QuEChERS Extraction and Simultaneous Quantification in GC-MS/MS of Hexahydrocannabinol Epimers and Their Metabolites in Whole Blood, Urine, and Oral Fluid · 2024 · DOI

Most-cited papers in Forensic Toxicology and Drug Analysis

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Open questions raised by papers listed on this page include: (1) Further research on this area is warranted to update information and develop intervention strategies (“Patterns of Drug Use Across Social and Sexual Contexts in Spain: Insights From…”, 2026); (2) There is a need for local data sources to identify city- and subpopulation-specific trends in stimulant use among MSM (“Changes in Stimulant Use Over Time Among Men Who Have Sex with Men in…”, 2026); (3) Its systematic consideration could enhance the reliability, reproducibility, and interpretative consistency of postmortem toxicological investigations, particularly when traditional matrices are lacking (“Evaluation of bladder wash for postmortem toxicological analysis: Comparison…”, 2026); (4) Drug intoxication deaths increasingly fall under medicolegal jurisdiction, yet national trends in death-certificate-recorded autopsy utilization for community intoxication deaths are not well characterized (“Death‐certificate–recorded autopsy utilization in U.S. intoxication deaths,…”, 2026); (5) Future research should aim to improve detection methods by adapting toxicological screening procedures to keep pace with the rapid emergence of new psychoactive substances on the drug market (“Patterns of Polydrug Use in Patients Presenting at the Emergency Department…”, 2025). 386 gap statements have been mined from Forensic Toxicology and Drug Analysis papers in our 7.9M-paper local library, which holds 2,551 papers on the topic; the gaps come from whichever of those papers state one. They are mostly the research gaps the authors state and the papers' abstracts, plus future-work, limitations and challenges passages. The ones listed below are a selection still marked open; each names the study that raised it, with a DOI link where the paper has one, so you can read the original claim in context.

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