Innovative drug detection technologies developed by a UTS team led by Professor Shanlin Fu and Dr Morgan Alonzo are saving lives worldwide, providing law enforcement, healthcare and harm reduction services with powerful tools to combat an increasingly dangerous illicit drug market. Their efforts have been recognised with a Research Translation Award in the 2025 UTS Vice-Chancellor’s Awards for Research Excellence.
Supporting public safety and saving lives
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Professor Shanlin Fu
Shanlin is Professor of Forensic Toxicology at the UTS Centre for Forensic Science and heads up the Drugs and Toxicology Group where he runs an active research program with the primary goal of developing sensitive methods for clinical diagnosis, therapeutic drug monitoring and drugs of abuse testing.
His team began to research illicit drug testing when collaborating with organisations such as the Australian Federal Police and NSW Health Pathology.
“This work arose from a genuine need we saw in frontline work during our research collaborations,” explained Shanlin.
“We saw how law enforcement and harm reduction agencies often lacked fast, reliable, on-site drug testing tools. With our forensic chemistry expertise at UTS, we were able to turn that gap into a focused research program.”
This work arose from a genuine need we saw in frontline work during our research collaborations.
The team’s mission developed by asking: how can we develop tests that are both scientifically rigorous and operationally practical for real-world use?
Engage with industry partners early and often
Initial research focused on developing tests for traditional drugs of abuse such as cannabis, heroin and cocaine. Since 2012, the team expanded its research to address the urgent challenge of identifying new psychoactive substances, with Morgan developing new identification methods as a PhD researcher.
Working with partners, the UTS team created a sensitive, highly specific, low‑cost and portable drug testing solution that delivers rapid results for harm minimisation and law enforcement.
In translating research into products that law enforcement and health practitioners could use, Morgan said that two main challenges stand out.
“First, balancing speed with accuracy: end-users need results in minutes, but false positives or negatives are not an option. Second, bridging the gap between academic publication timelines and commercial product development cycles. We’ve learned that patience, iterative prototyping and early engagement with industry partners are essential.”
Finding the need your research can solve
Shanlin advised anyone seeking to translate research for societal benefit to start with the end-user.
“Identify a real, unmet need and build your research around solving it. Then, seek industry and end-user partners early, even before you have a perfect prototype,” he said, adding that research translation is a team sport.
“You will need legal, commercial and regulatory expertise alongside your research knowledge. And you must be prepared for a long game. Patents, products and adoption take years, but every small real-world win makes it worthwhile.”
Identify a real, unmet need and build your research around solving it. Then, seek industry and end-user partners early, even before you have a perfect prototype.
The value of recognition
Morgan said that winning this Award validates how university research can leave the lab and make a tangible difference.
“In our case, we’ve been recognised for helping global law enforcement and harm reduction efforts. But more than that, the Award recognises the team efforts involved, including from our dedicated researchers, our legal and industry engagement team and our German manufacturing partner. We all share this success.”
“Winning this Award tells us that the long hours, the patent filings, and the commercial negotiations were worth it. It also energises us to push our next two patented tests over the finish line.”
Shanlin encourages other research teams to nominate for future Vice-Chancellor’s Awards for Research Excellence to spotlight work that can otherwise go unseen, particularly research translation, where impact may take years to emerge and isn’t always reflected in publication metrics.
“Nominating someone says: ‘your effort matters to me and to the university.’ For the nominee, winning is a powerful morale boost and can open doors to further partnerships and funding. For the university, celebrating diverse types of research, from discovery to translation, builds a culture where real-world impact is genuinely valued. So please, take the time to nominate. It makes a bigger difference than you might think.”
What’s next?
- Learn more about Professor Shanlin Fu.
- Learn more about Dr Morgan Alonzo.
- Meet the other finalists and winners of the 2025 UTS Vice-Chancellor’s Awards for Research Excellence.
- Learn how to apply for future awards.