Established in 2012, the Gerona Lab is primarily focused on new psychoactive substances (NPS) analysis and surveillance, and environmental chemical biomonitoring. The laboratory pioneered the use of high-resolution mass spectrometry in suspect screening and non-targeted analysis applications to NPS analysis and endocrine disrupting chemicals biomonitoring. In 2015, the laboratory started developing methods for the analysis and monitoring of anti-tuberculosis drugs using hair samples as additional research focus.

Synthetic cannabinoids are a diverse class of new psychoactive substances (NPS) that functionally mimic the active ingredient of cannabis. Our surveillance work with the DEA and the CDC between 2012-2017 allowed us to track the changes in synthetic cannabinoids as clandestine laboratories tweak their molecular structure to evade regulation. Our work helped in the scheduling of several toxic synthetic cannabinoids. We have expanded our surveillance work to all types of NPS through the DEA TOX program.

Our latest publication on MDR-TB details our method in quantifying the new drug delamanid and its metabolite DM-6705 in small hair samples. The method allows us to track drug adherence among MDR-TB patients across the world in an effort to rapidly predict treatment outcome.