Forensic and Human Identification Solutions for Improved Workflow Efficiency

Criminal investigations increasingly rely on biological evidence, resulting in an increase in the number of samples submitted to forensic laboratories for DNA profiling. It is extremely important for forensic laboratories to be able to handle this growing demand for forensic DNA testing, while still maintaining first pass success rates and turnaround times. To address this influx in evidence and the backlogs frequently associated with it, many laboratories have turned to automation, but this automation still needs to be integrated into the laboratories’ workflow.

To meet the needs of modern forensic laboratories, QIAGEN has developed several automated solutions, including the QIAsymphony SP (sample prep) instrument. The QIAsymphony SP instrument processes up to 96 samples (in batches of 24), while standardizing and streamlining the sample purification process to provide a high quality, PCR-ready DNA sample.

The Investigator Lyse&Spin Basket Kit can be used in conjunction with the QIAsymphony SP instrument to further enhance your workflow and increase laboratory efficiency, while reducing human intervention. The Investigator Lyse&Spin Baskets are used for pretreatment of forensic samples prior to automation, to lyse the sample and separate solid substrates in one simple procedure. The kit is fully enclosed, providing a safe environment for maximum reliability, and can be easily integrated into the QIAsymphony workflow.

The combination of the Investigator Lyse&Spin Basket Kit, for standardization of highly variable starting material, with the QIAsymphony SP, for high-throughput sample purification, has enabled the forensic laboratory of Finland’s National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) to optimize the laboratory workflow and reduce sample manipulation. With the implementation of their new workflow, NBI doubled their workflow capacity, while maintaining their high success rates.

To learn more about the workflow and see NBI’s validation data for the QIAsymphony SP Instrument and Investigator Lyse&Spin Basket Kit, read their application note here.