Dr Simona Francese was interviewed yesterday, 30th June 2015, by The Times newspaper about her research on fingerprint scans.

The fingerprint reader fires a laser at the fingerprint, which is coated with a chemical, known as a matrix. Under the beam, the substances emit charged particles that can be detected in seconds.

The Home Office-funded device, which is also able to identify gender and even whether a suspect has cancer, can flag up signs of cocaine, heroin or cannabis use within a minute. It is being tested by West Yorkshire police in real investigations.

To read the full article, you can download the 'Fingerprints reveal if you’ve had coffee, cocaine or cancer' PDF (PDF, 58.1KB).

For more information on the subject please see the following articles

Detection and mapping of illicit drugs and their metabolites in fingermarks by MALDI MS and compatibility with forensic techniques

Hallam research could help point the finger at drug dealers

Related documents

The Times Fingerprints (PDF, 58.1KB) (PDF, 58.1 KB)