This week, the EUDA hosted the first in-person meeting of its newly established Network of forensic and toxicological laboratories (‘Network of labs’), which will play a critical role in supporting EU preparedness on drugs. The meeting, Strengthening forensic and toxicological collaboration to address drug-related threats and challenges, brought together the network members from across Europe to share insights from the frontline.
The meeting took stock of progress since the creation of the network in July 2024, which now brings together 63 laboratories. Across six sessions, the participants explored scientific developments, exchanged best practice and discussed strategies to enhance response capacity in the EU.
Opening the meeting, EUDA Executive Director Alexis Goosdeel emphasised the role of the network in boosting preparedness across the fields of controlled drugs, new psychoactive substances (NPS) and chemical precursors. He also underlined its strategic importance in building a robust scientific foundation for drug monitoring and response efforts in Europe. The opening session also saw the launch of the new EUDA Analytical reference standards kit, designed to support laboratories in their analytical work and ensure consistency in testing and data generation across EU Member States.
A key session of the meeting, Connecting laboratories, advancing science and supporting preparedness, featured dedicated forensic and toxicological segments. Presentations in the forensic segment highlighted advances in precursor analysis and chemical profiling methods. Experts also explored the use of high-resolution mass spectrometry (HR-MS) in detecting NPS and shared insights from test-purchasing initiatives. These discussions underscored the role of the network in translating scientific developments into practice.
In the toxicology segment, participants presented recent advances in monitoring and analytical techniques. Topics included the detection of emerging NPS, analysis of biological samples and studies on specific substance groups. Other presentations examined the analytical challenges associated with cannabinoids and highlighted pharmacological profiling of new synthetic substances. Collectively, these contributions reflected the rapid evolution of toxicological science in response to emerging drug challenges.
The session From science to solutions included interventions from key institutional and international partners, including the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre (JRC), the Customs Laboratory European Network (CLEN), the European Network of Forensic Science Institutes (ENFSI), the International Association of Forensic Toxicologists (TIAFT), the European Association of Poison Centres and Clinical Toxicologists (EAPCCT), the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and the Centre for Forensic Science Research and Education (CFSRE). Discussions focused on strengthening collaboration among existing networks and identifying common areas of interest.
An interactive Bring your case session allowed participants to present and discuss real-world cases and laboratory challenges. Case studies ranged from an analysis of party drug scene samples to investigations into NPS-related deaths and GHB toxicity, nitazene incidents and death cases involving arylcyclohexylamines and cathinones. Participants also explored strategies to enhance the quality and consistency of laboratory reporting across the network, demonstrating the practical impact of shared expertise.
The meeting also dedicated time to looking to the future of forensic and toxicological science in drug investigations, with breakout groups concentrating respectively on the areas of work of forensic, toxicology and customs laboratories. The final session served as a network coordination meeting, reviewing ongoing EUDA-funded projects and discussing future initiatives.
By bringing together Europe’s leading forensic and toxicological experts, this milestone meeting underscored the EUDA’s commitment to advancing science-based responses to drug-related threats and to fostering a cohesive European laboratory community prepared to meet emerging challenges.
