The PEth-NET News


23rd of October 2024

Round 5 of the Inter-Laboratory Comparison has started

The team at the Institute of Forensic Medicine in Bern, Switzerland, has successfully prepared and dispatched the samples for Round 5 of the inter-laboratory comparison.


PEth Research Presented at DGVM/DGVP 2024

At this year’s DGVM/DGVP conference in Freiburg im Breisgau, Josefine Herzog from the “Forensic Toxicology Center Munich (FTC)” presented a poster on Initial Experiences with PEth Concentrations in Cases from Driving Fitness Assessments. The study examined drinking habits in relation to PEth levels and evaluated a threshold of 80 ng/mL (plus a 20 ng/mL safety margin).


6th of September 2024

PEth Research Presented at TIAFT 2024

The 2024 TIAFT conference was hosted in St. Gallen, Switzerland. A selection of presentations and posters are presented below:

Matthias Bantle from the Institute of Forensic Medicine in Bern presented about the “comparison of PEth in blood and ethyl glucuronide in hair in driving aptitude assessment”.

Christine Snozek from the Mayo Clinic Arizona presented novel results about the “characterization of the alcohol biomarker phosphatidylethanol in donor whole blood and apheresis red blood cells”

Various posters from different groups were presented. Additional information about the contributions is available in the 2024 TIAFT abstract booklet.


16th of August 2024

Inter-Laboratory Comparison Publication

The article about the PEth-NET “Interlaboratory comparison of phosphatidylethanol in dried blood spots using different sampling devices” is now available as open access publication in the journal Drug Testing and Analysis.


29th of July 2024

The 2024 PEth in Mind Conference Report is available

The congress report for the 2024 PEth in Mind Conference was just published in the TIAFT bulletin Volume LIV Number 2.


5th of June

The 2024 PEth in Mind Conference was a Success

Forty participants with forensic and clinical backgrounds from nine different countries attended the 2024 PEth in Mind conference of the Society of PEth Research (PEth-NET). The two-day conference was held in Lucerne, Switzerland, and featured 19 presentations and two workshop sessions, where novel innovations and the international harmonization of PEth results were discussed.

Regarding the composition of the PEth-NET board, Wolfgang Weinmann from the University of Bern was elected to replace the retiring treasurer, Marion Luginbühl, at the beginning of 2025 . The next in-person meeting of PEth-NET is planned to take place in 2026

We extend our heartfelt gratitude to all individuals who contributed to the realization of this meeting.

The 2025 PEth-NET board
The conference dinner
The 2024 PEth-NET conference participants discussing together during a workshop session
Keynote speaker Judy Hahn presenting her research at the conference

4th of June 2024

Swiss Newspapers are Writing about the 2024 PEth in Mind Meeting


1st of June 2024

2024 PEth-NET Award Recipients


The 2024 PEth-NET Awards at the 2024 PEth in Mind Conference in Lucerne honored Christina Ververi for the best presentation and Matthias Bantle for the best innovation.


Christina Ververi’s talk, titled “Towards the Implementation of a PEth Reference Measurement System: Setting Up a Reference Measurement Procedure,” focused on establishing a gravimetry based procedure to prepare calibration and quality control samples.

Matthias Bantle presented important work for the future of PEth research with his talk titled “Lyso-Phosphatidylethanol: Another Marker for Alcohol Consumption Monitoring?”


6th of May 2024

2024 PEth in Mind Conference City Tours

We are excited to announce that we will be offering a guided city tour to complement the cultural journey in Lucerne, during the 2024 PEth in Mind conference.

It presents a wonderful opportunity to explore the vibrant city of Lucerne, as we navigate through its historical landmarks and hidden gems.

To secure your spot for the guided city tour, please register through the provided link here (2024 PEth in Mind City Tour – PEth-NETPEth-NET) or visit the conference webpage. Additionally, we extend a warm invitation to accompanying persons to join in on the tour.

Registration for the city tour closes on the 15th of May 2024.


26th of April 2024

Round 4 of the Inter-Laboratory Comparison has started

The team at the Institute of Forensic Medicine in Bern, Switzerland, has meticulously prepared the samples, ensuring their readiness for shipment.


19th of April 2024

The 2024 PEth in Mind registration will close soon

Registrations for the 2024 PEth in Mind conference in Lucerne will close on the 1st of May. We encourage all eager participants to secure their spots by completing registration before this cutoff date.


22nd of March 2024

The 2024 PEth in Mind Abstract Booklet is Available

The 2024 PEth in Mind Abstract Booklet provides a glimpse into the presentations and research of this year’s conference.

For those eager to delve into the insights shared at the 2024 PEth in Mind Conference, we are pleased to offer the abstract booklet as a free download.


The 2024 PEth in Mind Scientific Abstracts are Available

Besides the keynote presentations presented on the conference webpage, the scientific abstracts are now available.


26th of January 2024

The 2024 PEth in Mind Conference Schedule is available

The upcoming conference will showcase a total of 19 talks presented by 16 distinct speakers. In addition, we are proud to host both an Innovation Workshop and a Harmonization Workshop.

The Early Bird registration will close on the 14th of February.


23rd of January 2024

The Inter-Laboratory Comparison will continue in 2024

Round 1/2024

-Registration finishes 5th of April 2024

-Devices must be shipped before the 19th of April 2024

-Samples are returned at the end of April 2024

-Results must be submitted until mid June 2024

Round 2/2024

Registration finishes 27th of September 2024

-Devices must be shipped before the 11th of October 2024

-Samples are returned mid October 2024

-Results must be submitted until mid December 2024


22nd of December 2023

Round 3 of the Inter-Laboratory Comparison Results were just Reported

We just sent out the results from the third round of our inter-laboratory comparison, including 20 participants from all around the globe. We thank all the laboratories for their participation.


24th November 2023

Abstract deadline is approaching

The abstract submission deadline for the 2024 PEth in Mind conference is swiftly approaching. Submissions will be closing on December 20th.

Our upcoming PEth-NET conference will once again serve as an important platform for scholars, researchers, and professionals in our field to come together, exchange ideas, and present the latest research findings.

Participation and contribution at the conference will play a vital role in shaping the discussions and advancements within our community.

For detailed information on abstract submission guidelines and conference details, please visit the conference webpage: 2024 PEth in Mind Conference – PEth-NETPEth-NET


November 2023

Round 3 of the Inter-Laboratory Comparison has started

The samples were prepared by the team of the Institute of Forensic Medicine in Bern, Switzerland, and were shipped on the 8th of November.


2nd of October 2023

Travel Award Deadline Extension

The deadline for travel award applications for the 2024 PEth in Mind Conference has been extended to November 1, 2023. Don’t miss out on this chance to present your work and compete for this prestigious grant!


11th of September 2023

Accreditation of Continuing Education

The Swiss Society of Forensic Medicine (SGRM) awards participants of the 2024 conference one credit per hour (45 – 60 minutes). A total of 11 credits may be credited for participation in the entire scientific program.


31st of July 2023

The PEth in Mind Conference will return in 2024

Dear esteemed colleagues and professionals,

We are thrilled to extend a warm invitation to the upcoming PEth-NET Conference in 2024, taking place in the picturesque city of Lucerne! We aim to bring together experts, researchers, and enthusiasts in the field of PEth to foster knowledge exchange, innovation, and collaboration.

Conference Details

Event: PEth in Mind 2024

Date: 31st of May and 1st of June 2024

Location: Lucerne, Switzerland

Why should you attend the PEth in Mind 2024 conference?

-Cutting-edge research: Stay at the forefront of PEth research and advancements through presentations and panel discussions.

-Networking opportunities: Connect with fellow professionals and researchers in various fields of PEth research

-Explore Lucerne: Experience the breathtaking beauty and cultural richness of Lucerne, surrounded by the stunning Swiss Alps, making it an unforgettable destination for leisure and learning.

Registration details

Abstract submission and registration is now open. We welcome submissions of original research in all areas of PEth application. Day one of the conference will focus on the technical aspects of PEth analysis and harmonization. Day two will focus on clinical applications of PEth research and applications. To register and explore more about the conference, please visit the conference webpage.

Conference awards

The Society of PEth Research is excited to continue the tradition of presenting two prestigious awards: the Best Presentation Award and the Best Innovation Award. All conference speakers will automatically be considered for these esteemed awards.

Travel awards in collaboration with the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNF)

In our commitment to supporting young scientists, we are excited to announce that we will be offering five travel awards in collaboration with the  Swiss National Science Foundation (SNF). Each award is worth up to 1000.- and will be granted to deserving young researchers to help cover travel expenses for attending the PEth-NET Conference in 2024. For students and young professionals, this conference offers an unparalleled opportunity to interact and open doors for future career growth.

We look forward to welcoming you to Lucerne and creating lasting memories together. Should you have any inquiries or require further information, please don’t hesitate to contact us at contact(at)peth-net.org

Best regards,

The PEth-NET Conference Organizing Committee:

Marc Luginbühl, Frieder Wurst, Frederike Stöth & Wolfgang Weinmann


5th of July 2023

Registration for the 3rd PEth-NET Inter-Laboratory Comparison is now Open

Samples for the third round of the inter-laboratory testing will ship at the end of October 2023. Once again, four authentic samples will be provided by IRM BE on the sampling device of the participant’s choice (must be shipped to IRM BE after the registration, must be a microsampling device). The following costs will apply for participants:

                        Within Europe, without tracked shipment:                                   100.-

                        Out of Europe, (tracked shipment option, express):                    200.-

Registration closes 30th of September 2023.


20th of June, 2023

Round 2 of the Inter-Laboratory Comparison Results were just Reported

We just sent out the results from the second round of our inter-laboratory comparison, including 19 participants from all around the globe. We thank all the laboratories for their participation.


28th of April, 2023

Round 2 of the Inter-Laboratory Comparison Samples are ready for Shipment

During round 2, 19 different laboratories will participate in the inter-laboratory comparison. The samples were prepared today by the team of the Institute of Forensic Medicine in Bern, Switzerland. They will soon arrive at the participating laboratories.


26th of January, 2023

Registration for the 2nd PEth-NET Inter-Laboratory Comparison is now Open

Samples for the second round of the inter-laboratory testing will ship during the week of the 24th of April 2023. Once again, four authentic samples will be provided by IRM BE on the sampling device of the participant’s choice (must be shipped to IRM BE after the registration, must be a microsampling device). The following costs will apply for participants:

                        Within Europe, without tracked shipment:                                   100.-

                        Out of Europe, (tracked shipment option, express):                    200.-

Registration closes 14th of April 2023


29th November 2022

Inter-Laboratory Comparison Samples are ready for Shipment

The inter-laboratory comparison samples were prepared today by the team of the Institute of Forensic Medicine in Bern, Switzerland. They will soon arrive at the participating laboratories.


16th November 2022

New Domain Added

In addition to our standard domain, we can now be reached using www.phosphatidylethanol.com


Registration for the 2022 PEth-NET Inter-Laboratory Comparison is now Open

We successfully finished the evaluation and the planning of the upcoming PEth-NET inter-laboratory comparison. Thank you very much for the positive and numerous pre-registrations that we received.

PEth-NET decided to collaborate with the Institute of Forensic Medicine in Bern (IRM BE) for the provision of blood samples and further logistics of the inter-laboratory comparison. In the first evaluation round, four different authentic whole blood samples will be provided to each participating laboratory, on microsampling devices. To prepare the individual samples, each participating laboratory is asked to ship the sampling device of their choice to IRM BE, to spot a selected choice of blood (e.g. 10-25 µL). For logistical reasons, only laboratories using devices that do not require any cooling during the transportation process (e.g. DBS cards, Mitra VAMS, etc.) are eligible for participation in the proficiency testing. A handling fee of 100 Swiss Francs will apply for the first round of inter-laboratory comparison. This fee includes shipment, handling, and evaluation costs. The payment must be directed to PEth-NET by using the enclosed payment slip which you will receive with your sample delivery.

To register for the first round of the inter-laboratory comparison please fill out the participation form online and directly send the microsampling devices of choice (routinely used in your laboratory) to: Institute of Forensic Medicine Bern, Matthias Bantle, Murtenstrasse 26, 3008 Bern, Switzerland

The individual blood samples will be provided in duplicate (a total of eight samples will be sent to each participating laboratory). To have one spare device, please provide at least 5 DBS cards or 10 VAMS samples for the preparation of your samples.

The evaluation and the provision of results are realized in an anonymized fashion (the same is true for potential scientific publications and presentations about the project). Each participating laboratory will receive an individual number within the inter-laboratory comparison scheme, which ensures their privacy.

The samples will be spotted and shipped in week 48 (28.11. -02.12.2022). Therefore, the sampling devices must reach the IRM BE before Friday the 25th of November 2022.

We’re hoping for numerous participants and wish you a pleasant rest of the week.

The board of PEth-NET



PEth Posters at the 59th TIAFT Meeting in Versailles, France

PEth-NET member Julien Deglon presented a poster about the in-vial DBS extraction followed by LC-HRMS measurement


5-8th of September 2022

PEth-NET Presentations at the 59th TIAFT Meeting in Versailles, France

PEth-NET member Christina Ververi during her presentation about Phosphatidylethanol in Dried Blood Spots: development, validation and comparison between LC-MS/MS and QTOF methods.

PEth-NET Scientific Board Member Prof. Wolfgang Weinmann presented about the Optimization of DBS-self sampling for PEth in a drinking experiment with standard DBS cards and with a new design of volumetric DBS card

PEth-NET member Catalina Dumitrascu presented about Phosphatidylethanol in whole blood: a complementary biomarker to ethyl glucuronide in hair

PEth-NET member Florian Hakim presented about the Added value evidence of a simultaneous determination of two phosphatidylethanol isoforms and ethylglucuronide in dried blood spots in forensic contexts


29th of August 2022

PEth-NET at the 23rd International Council on Alcohol, Drugs and Traffic Safety (ICADTS) Conference

During the session “PEth and other biochemical markers of alcohol use and their role in prevention of drink driving” chaired by Dr. Majda Zorec and Prof. Wolfgang Weinmann the application of PEth and its interpretation based on the 2022 Consensus of Basel was presented to a broad audience.

The following presentations were held:

1.) Introduction to PEth as a direct alcohol biomarker by Prof. Wolfgang Weinmann

2.) Acute (EtG) and chronic (PEth) alcohol biomarkers for the evaluation of risky drinking by Dr. Michael Böttcher

3.) The instrumental analysis of phosphatidylethanol: from the sample to the result by Dr. Marc Luginbühl

4.) The use of phosphatidylethanol in the driver’s license regranting process by Katleen Van Uytfanghe


25th of July 2022

The 2022 Consensus of Basel for the Harmonization of PEth is Released

The harmonization document is published in the journal Drug Testing and Analysis under the title “Consensus for the use of the alcohol biomarker phosphatidylethanol (PEth) for the assessment of abstinence and alcohol consumption in clinical and forensic practice (2022 Consensus of Basel)”.


29th of June 2022

The 2022 Congress Report is now available

The congress report for the 2022 PEth in Mind Meeting has just been released in the TIAFT Bulletin.


28th of June 2022

The 2022 Consensus of Basel got accepted for publication at Drug Testing and Analysis


25th May 2022

The 2022 PEth in Mind recordings are available on Youtube

For the ones who could not attend the meeting, we prepared recordings of the two keynote presentations and the 9 scientific session presentations. These recordings are now available on our PEth-NET Youtube channel.


23rd May 2022

2022 PEth-NET Award Winners

Congratulations to this year’s PEth-NET award winners:

2022 PEth-NET Best Presentation Award: John Roache, UT Health – San Antonio, TX, USA

2022 PEth-NET Best Innovation Award: Katleen van Uytfanghe, Laboratory for Toxicology – University of Ghent, Belgium


21st April 2022

General Assembly 2022

A general assembly will be held on the second day of the conference (20th of May 2022), as foreseen by the society’s article of incorporation. For the sake of continuity, we suggest proceeding with the current board members. In case further suggestions are made, we encourage you to send any proposals according to the society’s bylaw two weeks in advance of the business meeting.


18th March 2022

The 2022 PEth in Mind Conference Program is now available

The conference program for the scientific session and the laboratory presentation is now available online.

The 2022 PEth in Mind Conference will offer a total of 9 scientific presentations during the morning of the first day (12 min of presentation + 3 min Q&A). Please follow this link to see the scientific abstracts.

In the afternoon we will have a total of 11 laboratory presentations (17 min of presentation + 3 min Q&A). Please follow this link to see the laboratory abstracts.

We are looking forward to stimulating scientific discussions, and interesting personal talks.


15th March 2022

The 2022 PEth in Mind Conference is SOLD OUT


22nd December

The 2022 PEth in Mind Conference

We are pleased to announce that the registration and abstract submission for the 2022 PEth-NET meeting is now open by following this link.


2nd December

2022 Meeting

The Society of PEth Research (PEth-NET) will host its 2022 conference under the title “PEth in Mind” on the 19th & 20th of May 2022 in Basel, Switzerland. Registration is prescheduled to open on the 22nd of December, spaces are limited.


July 1st

PEth-NET is featured in the TIAFT bulletin

A congress report about the past PEth-NET Online Session was printed in the TIAFT (The International Association of Forensic Toxicologists) bulletin in June 2021.


The PEth-NET Trophy

Based on the appreciated evaluation by the scientific board members, the result is clear and the winners are as follows: 

PEth-NET Best Presentation Award

Katleen Van Uytfanghe

PEth-NET Best Innovation Award

Marc Luginbühl

Congratulation for the highly deserved awards and big thank you for all presentations and evaluations.


15th March

The 2021 PEth-NET Online-Session Videos are now online

All presentations can be viewed on the PEth-NET Youtube channel by following the link below:

–>Link to PEth-NET Youtube channel

Presentation no. 1 from the 2021 PEth-NET Online-Session

10th March

The PEth-NET Forum is here

To discuss topics raised at the 2021 Spring PEth-NET Online-Session, we launched a password protected forum on www.PEth-net.org


05th March 2021

The login links were sent by email

In case that you did not receive your login link for the 2021 Spring PEth-NET Online-Session, please contact PEth-NET using the contact form.

We are looking forward to an inspiring meeting and remain with best wishes

The board of PEth-NET


2nd February 2021

The PEth-NET Trophy

In addition to 11 scientific presentations during the upcoming meeting about the direct alcohol marker Phosphatidylethanol, there are two trophies to win for the presenters: The scientific advisory board members will honor two outstanding contributions presented at the PEth-NET spring meeting with the “Best Presentation Award” and the “Best Innovation Award”.


15th January 2021

The 2021 Spring PEth-NET Online-Session is here


12th January 2021

Abstract Notifications are out

The board just finished reviewing the submissions for the upcoming “2021 Spring PEth-NET Online Session” and sent abstract notifications. We are looking forward to a total of 11 presentations from all over the world.

The meeting will commence 9th March, 16:00 CET


4th January 2021

Abstract Submission Window has Closed

The Board is currently reviewing the abstracts and preparing the meeting. We are looking forward to a fruitful meeting and wish you a Happy New Year!


30th November 2020

Abstract Deadline is Approaching!


20th November 2020

Membership numbers are increasing steadily

One month after it was founded, the Society of PEth Research has already reached 15 members. We are looking forward to a prosperous 2021 and a successful Spring PEth-NET Online-Session.

-M


8th October 2020

We are now accepting abstracts!


6th October 2020

The Society of PEth Research is here!

What has been an idea for years has become a reality. PEth-NET is here!

PEth-NET, because it’s a network for PEth enthusiasts

The Society of PEth Research was founded in October 2020 and offers a platform for individuals who perform the analysis and results’ interpretation of Phosphatidylethanol in human blood. We are looking forward to a fruitful collaboration with individuals around the globe.

-M