Organic extraction of bone lysates improves DNA purification with silica beads.

In our standard protocol for DNA extraction from skeletal remains of unidentified bodies, bone lysates resulting from decalcification and Proteinase K treatment were purified with the DNA IQ™ Casework Pro Kit for Maxwell16 automate (Promega, WI). Despite its success in the majority of cases, the DNA purification with paramagnetic silica beads failed in some challenging samples. This failure in DNA recovery was often associated with filter clogging during the required volume reduction of the lysate to enable loading on the automate.