Date: Thursday, May 7, 2026
Time: 3:00 PM - 4:00 PM EDT
Seminar Title: Synthetic Soup: Drug Supply and Overdose Trends
This presentation shares laboratory findings on the rapidly changing composition of the US illicit drug supply, and trends in overdose mortality. Topics include emerging synthetic substances, notable regional variations. Current declines in overdose deaths will be placed in both national and historical context. The presentation emphasizes data-driven insights alongside real-world narratives to make the complexities of supply-side surveillance accessible to a broad audience. CERSI-funded research on drug treatment and pharmacology will help connect the importance of scientific research in understanding the rapidly evolving drug environment.
This event is part of the FDA's CERSI Lecture Series which presents current research and advancements in regulatory science related to pre-clinical evaluation of safety and efficacy of medical products, emerging technologies, and assessing diverse data sets through information sciences to improve health outcomes. Lectures are presented by scientists from the CERSI academic institutions or collaborators of CERSI investigators.
Speaker Bio:
Dr. Nabarun Dasgupta is a street drug scientist at the University of North Carolina, whose passion is telling true stories about health with numbers. At the UNC Opioid Data Lab his team has analyzed over 20,000 street drug samples donated via front line public health organizations, health departments, clinics. He pairs the resulting nuanced understanding of the illicit drug supply with large database analytics on overdose deaths to make sense of shifting drug use patterns. From molecules to populations, his work is deeply rooted in community engagement and amplifying lived experience. Since 2002 he has done pioneering work in overdose prevention and addiction treatment, including co-founding two non-profits that distribute the overdose antidote naloxone: Project Lazarus and Remedy Alliance For The People. He is also an editor at the American Journal of Public Health. He is a recipient of the 2025-2030 MacArthur Fellowship. In 2023 he was placed on the TIME100 Next list of rising global leaders, and the 2026 TIME100 Health list of the most influential leaders in health. Sign up for his newsletter (opioiddata.org) to stay on top of the latest drug trends.
Watch the Recording via link or embedded below:
View the Slides
Please contact triangle_cersi@unc.edu for questions.
For more information, visit the FDA CERSI Lecture Series website.
