The Fentanyl Equation: Science Fights Back with Collin Gage

Oct 28, 2025

Three hundred thousand American deaths in three years...and the chemistry is still evolving. If the cartels turned the lab into the battlefield, why haven't we brought our own defenses?

In this investigation, host Michael Brown sits down with Collin Gage, CEO and Co-founder of ARMR Sciences, to unpack a controversial but potentially game-changing idea: an immunotherapy "vaccine" designed to block fentanyl from reaching the brain. Gage explains the planned Phase I/II human trial, why military and first responders could be the first beneficiaries, and how a platform could expand to multivalent shields against carfentanil and emerging analogs.

We press the hard questions: pharmaceutical-grade versus "cartel" fentanyl, risk-compensation behavior, and whether the U.S. should treat this as biodefense.

Expect an unflinching discussion about creating anti-narco-chemistry that removes the "high" and, with it, the business model. It's exactly the kind of debate a country losing hundreds of people each day must have, if we want a fentanyl-free future.

Listen and subscribe on your favorite podcast player:

Spotify

Apple Podcasts

Views expressed in this material are opinions of the host and the guest, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Rigaku Analytical Devices.

To make sure you never miss an episode of The Opioid Matrix, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, the website, or your favorite podcast player here: https://plinkhq.com/i/1625927161?to=page

Michael Brown

Michael W. Brown is the global director of counter-narcotics technology at Rigaku Analytical Devices. He has a distinguished career spanning more than 32 years as a Special Agent for the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). He served as the country attaché in India and Myanmar; During his tour in Myanmar, he provided foreign advisory support for counter narcotic enforcement that, to date, has resulted in the interdiction of over US$250 million in precursor chemicals and implementing the regions first use of Raman spectroscopy to degrade the supply chain for narcotics production. He was also part of a special specialized counter narcotics unit operating in the jungles of South America tasked with locating and destroying drug labs and narcotic supply chains. Most recently he was the DEA Headquarters staff coordinator for the Office of Foreign Operations for the Middle East-Europe-Afghanistan-India. Michael is a graduate of the United States Ranger Training Battalion and has a master’s degree in interdisciplinary technology and management from the University of Eastern Michigan.

Contact Us

Whether you're interested in getting a quote, want a demo, need technical support, or simply have a question, we're here to help.

Contact Sales

Contact Service

Office Locations