Toward Analysis at the Point of Need: A Digital Microfluidic Approach to Processing Multi-Source Sexual Assault Samples.

Forensic case samples collected in sexual assaults typically contain DNA from multiple sources, which complicates short-tandem repeat (STR) profiling. These samples are typically sent to a laboratory to separate the DNA from sperm and non-sperm sources prior to analysis. Here, the automation and miniaturization of these steps using digital microfluidics (DMF) is reported, which may eventually enable processing sexual assault samples outside of the laboratory, at the point of need.

Developmental validation of a real-time PCR assay for the simultaneous quantification of total human and male DNA.

Multiplex human short tandem repeat analysis demands reliable DNA quantification to consistently produce interpretable genotypes. The Plexor HY System is a multiplex quantitative PCR assay to quantify total human and male DNA. We performed developmental validation of the Plexor HY System to demonstrate the performance capabilities and limitations of the assay for forensic applications.