Repurposing Standard Hospital Analysers into Anticounterfeiting Tools

A research team ¹ led by the University of Oxford, with participation from University of East London researcher Dr Hamid Merchant, has demonstrated that standard hospital chemistry analysers can accurately distinguish genuine liquid medicines from falsified versions.

The breakthrough lies not in new hardware, but in repurposing existing clinical chemistry analysers – the automated laboratory systems routinely used to measure glucose, electrolytes, proteins and enzymes in patient samples. These instruments, manufactured by companies such as Roche Diagnostics and Abbott Laboratories, are already installed in hospitals worldwide.

The researchers showed that liquid medicines such as insulin and vaccines exhibit identifiable biochemical profiles – including specific protein concentrations, stability markers and solution characteristics – that can be measured using standard spectrophotometric and enzymatic assays. Counterfeit or degraded products deviate measurably from these expected signatures, allowing suspect batches to be flagged rapidly for further specialist analysis.

Crucially, this approach does not seek to replace laboratory techniques such as high-performance liquid chromatography or mass spectrometry. Instead, it provides a low-cost, frontline screening layer. Because these analysers are widely available and staff are already trained to operate them, hospitals could immediately integrate counterfeit detection into routine workflows without major capital investment.