The University of the Philippines (UP) has upgraded its Drug Abuse Research Laboratory (DARL) to enhance the government’s fight against drug abuse.

The upgraded lab, located at UP Manila College of Pharmacy, now uses state-of-the-art equipment to identify a wider range of drug compounds, including new party drugs, in real time. This will allow law enforcement agencies to conduct more accurate and timely drug tests.

Commission on Higher Education (CHEd) chairperson Prospero de Vera III and UP Manila Chancellor Mike Tee unveiled the upgraded lab on Tuesday.

“CHEd recognized the expertise of UP Manila in chemical and health sciences and we want this expertise to be at the service of the government,” De Vera said. “The UP DARL will provide information to help the government better address the drug problem in the country.”

“We thank CHEd chair De Vera for supporting the establishment of the DARL,” UP Manila Chancellor Michael Tee said. “This will serve as a teaching-learning facility where future experts will train.”

CHEd invested P112.6 million to equip the lab with advanced technology, allowing it to identify 110 types of drug compounds, compared to the 10 types previously identified by traditional test kits. The lab can also reduce the waiting time for test results from weeks to a day.