FY 2010 Forensic DNA Unit Efficiency Improvement Program

A new application of a known process in the biotechnology arena, can be modified to meet the laboratory's needs and still maintain the high quality DNA typing results. This application has been described for the differential digestion process under the title "DNA Preparation from Sexual Assault Cases by Selective Degradation of Contaminating DNA from the Victim" by Garvin et al. It involves the use of DNase I for the complete degradation of non-sperm cell DNA without disrupting the sperm heads.
We propose utilizing a modification of the DNase I procedure by incorporating automation with the use of the laboratory's current robotic liquid handlers and high volume format sample preparation devises. All experiments will utilize currently recognized DNA typing procedures (Quantifiler Duo, Identifiler, 3130 Genetic Analyzer, and GeneMapper ID software). ca/ncf