Oliver Lerch
Papers
5
Total Citations
112
H-Index
5
About
Oliver Lerch is a forensic scientist whose research has made significant contributions to analytical toxicology, particularly in the automation and validation of detection methods for drugs of abuse and their metabolites in biological matrices. His work centers on developing robust, high-throughput analytical workflows using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC/MS) and related techniques to identify substances such as opioids, cocaine, cannabinoids, and their metabolites in blood serum and hair samples. Lerch's most impactful contributions include pioneering comprehensive automation of solid phase extraction and liquid-liquid extraction procedures for forensic toxicology laboratories, dramatically reducing manual labor while improving reproducibility and reliability. His 2014 study on opioid and cocaine analysis from serum (36 citations) and his 2016 work on THC metabolite quantification from blood (35 citations) have become valuable references for forensic practitioners worldwide. His research on cannabinoid detection in hair, including simultaneous quantification of multiple compounds, addresses the critical challenge of distinguishing active consumption from external contamination. More recently, Lerch expanded his expertise into immunological testing, contributing to COVID-19 antibody detection from dried blood spots during the pandemic. Collectively, his work has helped standardize and modernize forensic toxicological analysis across multiple biological matrices.
Research Focus
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Top Papers
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