{"id":19821,"date":"2025-03-11T06:56:54","date_gmt":"2025-03-11T06:56:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/reinvantage-dev.eonserver.com\/?p=19821"},"modified":"2025-03-11T06:56:54","modified_gmt":"2025-03-11T06:56:54","slug":"from-czechia-an-ai-powered-device-that-can-detect-counterfeit-drugs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/reinvantage-dev.eonserver.com\/?p=19821","title":{"rendered":"From Czechia, an AI-powered device that can detect counterfeit drugs"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

A Czech start-up is taking on one of the world\u2019s most pressing public health threats\u2014counterfeit medicines.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Counterfeit pharmaceuticals are an escalating global crisis, exacerbating the fentanyl epidemic and putting millions of lives at risk. In the United States alone, counterfeit pills laced with fentanyl contribute to over 200 deaths daily, while in Europe, the problem is steadily worsening. Fake medicines not only endanger individual patients but also undermine trust in healthcare systems and supply chains. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Traditional drug testing methods are often slow, costly, and reliant on laboratory settings\u2014making them impractical for frontline law enforcement and public health officials. Lightly Technologies, a Czech start-up, is changing that with a portable, AI-powered device that can detect and cross-match counterfeit drugs in minutes. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now, with backing from the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) Health, the company is poised to scale its impact. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A breakthrough in forensic drug detection <\/h5>\n\n\n\n

At the heart of Lightly Technologies\u2019 innovation is a patented UV fingerprinting method that allows for rapid, field-based identification of counterfeit medicines. Unlike conventional testing devices, which can confirm the presence of substances like fentanyl but lack deeper analytical capabilities, Lightly\u2019s system creates a unique chemical fingerprint for each sample. This means law enforcement agencies and regulators can not only identify illicit drugs but also track global supply chains, linking shipments across continents. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOur technology doesn\u2019t just say \u2018yes or no\u2019 to whether a substance is fentanyl,\u201d explains Monika Stepanova, CEO and co-founder of Lightly Technologies. \u201cIt can determine if a batch of fentanyl found in Prague is chemically identical to one discovered in San Diego last month. This is game-changing intelligence for authorities.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The solution consists of three key components: a handheld device, single-use cartridges, and a global drug database. Field agents collect a sample, place it in a cartridge, and insert it into the device. Within minutes, the analysis is uploaded to a secure database, where it is compared against previous entries, enabling cross-border intelligence sharing. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

An urgent global challenge <\/h5>\n\n\n\n

The scale of the problem is staggering. Counterfeit medicines account for up to 10 per cent of the global pharmaceutical market, according to the WHO, with illicit networks exploiting regulatory gaps and weak supply chains. In response, international law enforcement agencies\u2014including Interpol and the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA)\u2014are turning to technology-driven solutions like Lightly\u2019s to gain the upper hand. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOur work with Czech police first opened the door,\u201d says Stepanova. \u201cThen we were invited to showcase our technology to the DEA and Interpol, and we realised just how urgently this was needed.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yet working with law enforcement and government agencies presents its own set of challenges. Public sector partnerships, while impactful, often move slowly, delaying adoption and commercial scaling. To counterbalance this, Lightly Technologies is diversifying its applications, expanding into sectors such as water quality monitoring, counterfeit wine detection, and environmental analysis\u2014all of which rely on the same UV fingerprinting technology. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The journey to this point has been anything but linear. The technology behind Lightly emerged from Mendel University in Brno, where scientist and co-founder Luk\u00e1\u0161 \u0160\u0165astn\u00fd first developed the method. Initially, the focus was on analysing wine authenticity and water purity, but a chance encounter with Czech law enforcement led to an entirely new application: drug detection. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Scaling the technology from an academic breakthrough to a market-ready product required significant support. That\u2019s where EIT Health came in. Through the EIT Jumpstarter programme, Lightly Technologies gained crucial funding, business mentorship, and access to an influential network of healthcare and innovation experts. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Unlike software-based solutions, which can be iterated and deployed quickly, hardware innovation comes with complex manufacturing and scaling challenges. Building a robust, portable device required overcoming significant technical hurdles, including overheating components, miniaturisation, and durability testing for field conditions. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Huge potential<\/h5>\n\n\n\n

With Lightly Technologies now actively raising investment and preparing for mass production, the goal is clear: become the go-to technology for law enforcement agencies worldwide in the fight against counterfeit medicines. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cLong-term, we want to be the number-one technology for combating illicit drug trade and counterfeit pharmaceuticals,\u201d says Stepanova. \u201cBut we also see huge potential in environmental monitoring, supply chain integrity, and consumer safety.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As counterfeit medicines continue to flood global markets, scalable, technology-driven solutions like Lightly\u2019s are more urgent than ever. With EIT Health\u2019s backing and a rapidly growing network of partners, this Czech start-up is well on its way to reshaping forensic drug detection\u2014one sample at a time. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Listen to the full conversation between Andrew Wrobel and Lightly’s Monika Stepanova:<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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