Lightly has developed a portable device, called the Catcher, which can quickly, within the space of a few minutes, determine whether a sample of a drug is the real thing or has been in some way tampered with. Though still in the prototype stage, it’s already proven popular with law enforcement and drug companies.
UV-Fingerprint
The Catcher makes use of a new approach to analyzing samples, called the UV-Fingerprint method. The short explanation is that a sample is placed in a small container together with a reaction fluid, bombarded with ultraviolet light, and then the resulting fluid is compared with the original one. When cross-matched and compared to other samples treated in a similar way, one can quickly determine any differences between them.
The method was pioneered by Lukáš Nejdl, a researcher at the chemistry department of Mendel University in Brno, and is described in much greater detail in his academic paper on the subject. At first, the method was mainly used to catch out counterfeit wine, but Nejdl and the people around him quickly figured out the potential of the technology and the idea to create a company that could develop some kind of product around the tech.
Nejdl approached Monika Štěpánová, another graduate of Mendel University and also the former chief executive of Nanteo, a startup which developed a medical diagnostic device. Between Nejdl’s scientific expertise and Štěpánová’s experience developing hardware, the duo had the know-how to build some kind of prototype for the as-yet unfounded company.
The biggest impetus for the nascent Lightly was an inquiry by the Czech police, who through mutual contacts had caught on and approached the team to find out if the UV-fingerprint method could be used to detect drugs that had been tampered with. The team went with the Czech police to the United States on an Interpol mission and came back convinced that testing adulterated drugs was the way forward.
Developing the Catcher
Once back in Brno, the team went to work and developed the Catcher. Currently, the working prototype, its second iteration, is a bulky device that fits in a case about the size of carry-on luggage. It weighs just over a kilo and wouldn’t be fit for field work. However, a far less bulky third version is in the final stages of development.
Using the Catcher is straightforward. A sample is placed in a small cartridge containing a reagent fluid. This cartridge is then placed in the Catcher, which goes to work for about two minutes. The results are exported into a graph, which is then added to the database Lightly maintains to determine the provenance and purity of samples.
The full process can be seen in the video below, though note that for the demonstration in the Startup Kitchen offices the Lightly team used over-the-counter allergy medicine, not narcotics.
Edited by Mikuláš O’Sullivan
Štěpánová says the Catcher will go on the market hopefully later this year. Buyers will be able to buy it either outright, or go on a payment model. Whichever option is chosen, the purchase price includes access to the database.
However, the Catcher is only one part of the equation. For it to work, it needs cartridges to function. These are currently not reusable, giving Lightly an ongoing revenue stream when the Catcher eventually goes to market.
Drug Data
The database should also prove quite a draw: simply put, Lightly puts all measurements made with the Catcher into it, then lets AI draw conclusions. Because the UV-fingerprint method’s cross-matching, it’s possible to determine where a drug was made and by whom based on the ingredients used. Not only can law enforcement see whether a drug has been tampered with, they can deduce who’s responsible, too, within limits.
Štěpánová realizes this is a big part of what could make the Catcher attractive and the team is working hard on refining its AI model, as well as making sure this extremely valuable data is kept safe from interference.
Looking Lightly into the Future
Taken altogether, the future looks rosy for Lightly, and Štěpánová seems optimistic and determined. There has been interest in buying the Catcher from both national and local law enforcement in the U.S. and Europe, with feelers already put out by agencies in the Middle East, as well. Though the units aren’t cheap, using a pay-as-you-go model should defray some costs for buyers – and give Lightly a dependable revenue stream.
On top of that, the Catcher can be used to detect anything, as long as a sample can be placed in the solution. It can map out other drugs, detect impurities in water, and Nejdl claims it can even determine somebody’s stress level by analyzing their saliva. It seems the sky is the limit for Lightly.
