Delft student team tackles date rape

Student team iGem from the TU Delft has started a crowdfunding campaign to develop a sensor for the rapid detection of GHB in drinks. The young researchers’ approach will be to use biological components as a biosensor, which, inserted into an electrical circuit, will cause a light to turn on when GHB is detected. The device is meant to be put in glasses.

Gamma-hydroxybutyrate or GHB has an anesthetic effect and is suspected to be used for facilitating sexual assault. This is generally difficult to prove, however, because the drug breaks down quickly in the body and is therefore rarely found in victims’ blood. Furthermore, the effects of GHB are hard to distinguish from heavy alcohol intoxication. For these two reasons, there’s often a lack of evidence to look for and prosecute sex offenders.