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The use of dyes in STR product analysis is dealt with in course: Amplified DNA Product Separation, Fluorescent Detection Module. Selection of dyes is generally based upon instrument compatibility and spectral overlap. The effective use and development of different colored dyes (that can be used together) results in an output consisting of organized peaks in a variety of colors, rather than of a series of indistinguishable peaks. In general, the dyes used to label primers for forensic DNA analysis are fluorescent
and emit color at different wavelengths.
Although the dyes are different colors, their spectra can overlap because the wavelengths that determine color occur simultaneously, not discretely.
Due to spectral overlaps, a matrix must be run with each instrument. A matrix is created by running each color separately on the instrument. The instrument then compares the individual colors to one another. The matrix file is represented in table format.
The matrix file allows the instrument software to normalize the fluorescence between the colored dyes and creates a virtual filter, separating the colors for sample analysis.01
Additional Online Courses
- What Every First Responding Officer Should Know About DNA Evidence
- Collecting DNA Evidence at Property Crime Scenes
- DNA – A Prosecutor’s Practice Notebook
- Crime Scene and DNA Basics
- Laboratory Safety Programs
- DNA Amplification
- Population Genetics and Statistics
- Non-STR DNA Markers: SNPs, Y-STRs, LCN and mtDNA
- Firearms Examiner Training
- Forensic DNA Education for Law Enforcement Decisionmakers
- What Every Investigator and Evidence Technician Should Know About DNA Evidence
- Principles of Forensic DNA for Officers of the Court
- Law 101: Legal Guide for the Forensic Expert
- Laboratory Orientation and Testing of Body Fluids and Tissues
- DNA Extraction and Quantitation
- STR Data Analysis and Interpretation
- Communication Skills, Report Writing, and Courtroom Testimony
- Español for Law Enforcement
- Amplified DNA Product Separation for Forensic Analysts