Nucleic Acid Drug Tags and Methods of Tracking the Tags in Bodily Waste

1 . A drug tracking system comprising:

a drug tag, the drug tag comprising at least one nucleic acid or nucleic acid analog, wherein the at least one nucleic acid or nucleic acid analog comprises a unique nucleotide sequence that correlates with at least one of the following: a drug molecule, a drug class, a drug manufacturer, and a drug distributor;

a database, the database comprising entries which associate nucleotide sequences of nucleic acids or nucleic acid analogs with each of the following: a drug molecule, a drug class, a drug manufacturer, and a drug distributor to which each sequence corresponds.

2 . The drug tracking system of claim 1 , wherein the nucleotide sequences corresponding to the drug molecule, the drug class, the drug manufacturer, and the drug distributor are each present on a single nucleic acid or nucleic acid analog.

3 . The drug tracking system of claim 1 , wherein the nucleotide sequences corresponding to the drug molecule, the drug class, the drug manufacturer, and the drug distributor are each present on a separate nucleic acid or nucleic acid analog.

4 . The drug tracking system of claim 1 , wherein the nucleic acid or nucleic acid analog comprises between about 80 and about 100 base pairs.

5 . The drug tracking system of claim 1 , wherein the nucleic acid or nucleic acid analog comprises between about 30 and about 50 base pairs.

6 . The drug tracking system of claim 1 , wherein the nucleic acid or nucleic acid analog comprises between about 4 and about 10 base pairs.

7 . The drug tracking system of claim 1 , wherein the nucleic acid or nucleic acid analog comprises deoxyribonucleic acid.

8 . The drug tracking system of claim 1 , wherein the nucleic acid or nucleic acid analog consists of a double-stranded molecule.

9 . The drug tracking system of claim 1 , wherein the nucleic acid or nucleic acid analog consists of a single-stranded molecule.

10 . The drug tracking system of claim 1 , wherein the at least one nucleic acid or nucleic acid analog is conjugated to a magnetic nanoparticle.

11 . The drug tracking system of claim 10 , wherein the diameter of the magnetic nanoparticles is between about 5 nm and about 10 nm.

12 . The drug tracking system of claim 10 , wherein the diameter of the magnetic nanoparticles is between about 3 nm and about 8 nm.

13 . A method of detecting a drug in bodily waste comprising the steps of:

obtaining a sample of bodily waste from a user who has consumed a drug molecule, wherein the drug molecule is connected to a drug tag according to claim 1 ; and

hybridizing the nucleic acid or nucleic acid analog of the drug tag to a single-stranded nucleic acid, wherein the single-stranded nucleic acid comprises a sequence which is homologous to the nucleic acid or nucleic acid analog of the drug tag, and wherein the single-stranded nucleic acid is connected to a means for emitting a signal when the single-stranded nucleic acid hybridizes to the nucleic acid or nucleic acid analog of the drug tag.

14 . The method of claim 13 , further comprising the step of amplifying the at least one nucleic acid or nucleic acid analog of the drug tag.

15 . The method of claim 13 , further comprising the step of quantifying the at least one nucleic acid or nucleic acid analog of the drug tag.

16 . The method of claim 13 , further comprising the step of identifying the sequence of the at least one nucleic acid or nucleic acid analog of the drug tag.

17 . The method of claim 16 , further comprising the steps of:

entering the nucleotide sequence of the at least one nucleic acid or nucleic acid analog of the drug tag into the database of claim 1 ;

comparing the nucleotide sequence of the at least one nucleic acid or nucleic acid analog of the drug tag to a plurality of nucleotide sequence entries in the database of claim 1 , wherein the nucleotide sequence entries are associated with one or more of the following: a first drug molecule, a first drug class, a first drug manufacturer, and a first drug distributor to which each sequence corresponds; and

identifying the first drug molecule, the first drug class, the first drug manufacturer, or first drug distributor associated with the nucleotide sequence of the at least one nucleic acid or nucleic acid analog of the drug tag.

18 . The method of claim 17 , wherein the drug class which correlates to the at least one nucleic acid or nucleic acid analog sequence of the drug tag consists one or more of the following: opioids, antibiotics, antihypertensive compounds, steroid hormones, antihistamines, antidepressant compounds, antipsychotic compounds, antiviral compounds, antifungal compounds, anti-inflammatory compounds, anticonvulsants, diuretics, muscle relaxants, statins, and immunosuppressive agents.

19 . The method of claim 17 , further comprising the step of comparing the first drug molecule, the first drug class, the first drug manufacturer, or first drug distributor with a user's file which comprises a list of drugs prescribed to the user.

20 . The method of claim 17 , further comprising the steps of:

identifying the sequence of a second nucleic acid or nucleic acid analog of a second drug tag wherein the second drug tag is according to claim 1 ;

entering the sequence of the second nucleic acid or nucleic acid analog of the second drug tag into the database of claim 1 ; and

comparing the sequence of the second nucleic acid or nucleic acid analog to a plurality of sequence entries in the database of claim 1 which are associated with a plurality of drug molecules;

identifying a second drug molecule;

comparing the identities of the first drug molecule and second drug molecule with a plurality of entries in the database which include drug interactions.