“Seeing firsthand how a chemical measurement can yield that level of human impact drives my commitment to expanding access to this data and ensuring we do everything possible to keep the public informed.”
What does your research focus on, and what problem are you trying to solve?
My research focuses on developing approaches that unlock real-time, comprehensive insights into the illicit drug supply to better inform public health, public safety, and policy. Specifically, I try to identify novel technologies and data analytics to enable next-generation chemical measurements and work to lower their implementation barriers.
What aspect of your current research excites you most – and why is this an important moment for it?
The ability to provide near-complete, timely data on the makeup of the illicit drug landscape is the aspect of my research that currently excites me the most. The illicit drug landscape, especially in North America, is evolving so rapidly that it is difficult for forensic science laboratories and other traditional data-gathering organizations to keep up. In addition, the information those organizations typically generate is not comprehensive enough to address the full complexity of today’s drug landscape.
Our team is trying to apply every appropriate analytical tool we have to these samples to track which substances are in the supply and in what concentrations, where they are occurring, and where they originated. We also try to predict where the substances will move next. Using workflows we’ve developed, we can now provide these data to our partners in a matter of hours rather than weeks or months, so they can be more proactive and timely in their response.
Looking five to 10 years ahead, what emerging trend do you think will have the greatest impact on analytical science?
I think over the next five to 10 years we will see two trends significantly affect analytical science – bringing the lab to the point of need and next-generation chemometrics. As technology advances and we miniaturize instrumentation without sacrificing performance, the ability to make high-quality, robust chemical measurements at the point of need will increase rapidly. This will have major implications for everything from healthcare and food safety to environmental monitoring. I think this will also empower more citizen scientists to make their own measurements at scale, and I am interested to see how that affects researchers.
In terms of next-generation chemometrics, I think we are going to see a movement away from throwing data into a bunch of models to see which one sticks. Instead, we will move toward more meaningful, novel approaches that not only maximize the amount of information we can squeeze out of a measurement but also enable us to better contextualize that information within a larger space.
For instance, in forensic drug analysis, the goal is often to identify the presence of a drug based on chemical measurements, largely through the visual interpretation of data. Having objective ways to reach that conclusion would be immensely beneficial to the field. Taking that same measurement and then being able to determine how that drug was synthesized, whether other recently analyzed samples likely came from the same batch of drugs or the same trafficking route, and what the potential harm of that sample is relative to other samples would provide immensely helpful additional insights. Realizing this will require increased adoption of standardized methods among laboratories to build larger pools of data.
What is the biggest challenge facing analytical science today?
I think the biggest challenge facing analytical science today is similar to the challenges facing many other sectors – the never-ending push to do more with less. Less staffing, lower budgets, more expensive instrumentation and consumables, and more red tape all make conducting research more difficult. These challenges cause us to lose our most valuable resource – time.
Finding the time to slow down and think through problems, iterate on possible solutions, and have deep and meaningful discussions with colleagues is regularly derailed by the need to answer emails, publish the next paper, or attend the pre-meeting for the meeting. Doing meaningful research takes uninterrupted time, focus, and collaboration.
Do you have any strong opinions with which the rest of the field tends to disagree?
Something I find other researchers, young and old, often struggle with is the willingness to start over. Whether it’s a research project, a draft of a manuscript, or even a career, there’s often a sense of needing to keep heading down a specific road because you already started or because that’s the way it has always been done. In my opinion, the lack of willingness to recognize that something isn’t working and start over can really hinder growth and innovation.
Specific to the field of illicit drugs, I think that, fundamentally, everyone in this space is trying to work toward the same goal. While law enforcement and public health may seem to have completely opposite missions on the surface, everyone is trying to protect the public from the harms of dangerous substances. If this perspective were more widely shared, that might help people from different professional communities better address the very real challenges they both face.
Who has changed the way you think about science – or life more broadly – and how?
Collaborating over the last five years with professionals in public health and harm reduction has fundamentally transformed how I view analytical science and strengthened my sense of purpose.
It has been profoundly rewarding to see how precise chemical measurements can trigger a cascade of positive change in an individual’s life. Every day, my team and I analyze samples and provide results to partners that spark essential conversations about what a person is consuming, the potential risks, and strategies to stay safe. These initial touchpoints open doors to broader dialogues that can ultimately guide individuals toward treatment for substance use disorders or other health concerns. At the same time, our data inform emergency physicians about circulating substances in the illicit drug supply, enabling faster, more accurate clinical interventions. At a recent meeting, one of our partners noted, “Remember that behind every sample number is a human” – a sentiment that perfectly captures the heart of our mission.
Seeing firsthand how a chemical measurement can yield that level of human impact drives my commitment to expanding access to these data and ensuring we do everything possible to keep the public informed.
What interest or skill outside science has made you a better researcher?
Traveling, especially internationally, is the outside interest that has done the most to make me a better researcher. Having to figure out how to navigate driving in foreign countries and communicate with people who do not speak your language requires as much problem-solving skill as any research challenge. Immersing yourself in other cultures provides new perspectives on the challenges others are facing and can spark ideas about how your research could be applied outside your own sphere.
Traveling also offers the rare opportunity to step away from the hustle of work and reset. Slowing down and clearing your mind opens up the mental space for new solutions to take shape.
Edward Sisco is a Research Chemist at the U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology, USA.
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