Cannabix Technologies Partners With Yost Research Group to Develop Marijuana Breath Detection Device

Cannabix Technologies (CSE:BLO) announced that it has entered into a research and option agreement to develop a cutting edge marijuana breath detection device in collaboration with the Yost Research Group at the University of Florida.
As quoted in the press release:

The Yost Research Group is a world leader and pioneer in the development of high-field asymmetric waveform ion mobility spectrometry, known as FAIMS.  Cannabix and The Yost Research Group will be working together to identify Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC- the psychoactive component of marijuana that causes intoxication) in ultra low ranges using highly sensitive FAIMS and FAIMS-mass spectrometer systems (FAIMS-MS).
The objective of the research and collaboration between University of Florida and The Yost Research Group and Cannabix will be to develop FAIMS and FAIMS-MS systems that would be used in the field by law enforcement and in the workplace to test for individuals under the influence of marijuana.   The The Yost Research Group has been actively working on THC detection using mass spectrometers since early 2015
The Yost Research Group has advanced the ability to detect THC in simulated breath using their novel FAIMS cell with mass spectrometry. Researchers have successfully isolated THC and some THC-related compounds in simulated breath samples using a unique method. Work is ongoing to ultimately develop a hand-held instrument based on FAIMS that will capture breath and identify the signatures for THC in real time.
The research and patent option agreement immediately allows for Cannabix to seamlessly carry on development work that has been done by the Yost Research Group using the FAIMS and FAIMS-MS systems.  The agreement provides Cannabix the option to acquire an exclusive worldwide license to University of Florida US Patent 8,237,118 in the area of breath analysis of controlled substances and to work with the Yost Research Group to develop THC-specific FAIMS and FAIMS-MS devices.

Dr. Raj Attariwala, lead engineer of Cannabix, commented:

FAIMS-MS is a technology that combines the lab standard detection capability of conventional mass spectrometry with high chemical selectivity and will allow Cannabix to greatly improve upon the THC reliability detection threshold. Collaborating with one of the field’s foremost experts in a lab facility of the caliber of the Yost Research Group indicates our commitment to work with the best qualified people and technology to allow us to develop a device for direct real time THC breath analysis.

Kal Malhi, president of Cannabix commented:

We are pleased to partner with the leading expert in mass spectrometry. Dr. Yost is a pioneer in the fields of MS and FAIMS-based miniature spectrometers.   Our partnership with The Yost Research Group and the University of Florida immediately diversifies Cannabix’s portfolio of breath testing technologies for THC.  Our objective is to develop a handheld breathalyzer that will provide precise medical grade and court accepted results at the roadside. Our new partnership boosts our ability to  deliver a durable, portable hand-held tool to the market to help detect marijuana impaired driving offences on our roads at a time when marijuana is becoming legal in many jurisdictions globally.

Click here to read the full Cannabix Technologies (CSE:BLO) press release.