title: Developmental Validation of the ParaDNA® Screening System - A presumptive test for the detection of DNA on forensic evidence items.
abstract: Current assessment of whether a forensic evidence item should be submitted for STR profiling is largely based on the personal experience of the Crime Scene Investigator (CSI) and the submissions policy of the law enforcement authority involved. While there are chemical tests that can infer the presence of DNA through the detection of biological stains, the process remains mostly subjective and leads to many samples being submitted that give no profile or not being submitted although DNA is present. The ParaDNA(®) Screening System was developed to address this issue. It consists of a sampling device, pre-loaded reaction plates and detection instrument. The test uses direct PCR with fluorescent HyBeacon™ detection of PCR amplicons to identify the presence and relative amount of DNA on an evidence item and also provides a gender identification result in approximately 75 minutes. This simple-to-use design allows objective data to be acquired by both DNA analyst and non-specialist personnel, to enable a more informed submission decision to be made. The developmental validation study described here tested the sensitivity, reproducibility, accuracy, inhibitor tolerance, and performance of the ParaDNA Screening System on a range of mock evidence items. The data collected demonstrates that the ParaDNA Screening System identifies the presence of DNA on a variety of evidence items including blood, saliva and touch DNA items.
authors.affiliation: Product Development Group, LGC Forensics, Culham Science Centre, Abingdon, OX14 3ED. Electronic address: paradna@lgcforensics.com.
authors.forename: Nick
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Dawnay
authors.affiliation: Product Development Group, LGC Forensics, Culham Science Centre, Abingdon, OX14 3ED.
authors.forename: Beccy
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Stafford-Allen
authors.affiliation: Innovation & Development Team, LGC, Teddington, TW11 0LY.
authors.forename: Dave
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Moore
authors.affiliation: Product Development Group, LGC Forensics, Culham Science Centre, Abingdon, OX14 3ED.
authors.forename: Stephen
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Blackman
authors.affiliation: Product Development Group, LGC Forensics, Culham Science Centre, Abingdon, OX14 3ED.
authors.forename: Paul
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Rendell
authors.affiliation: National Center for Forensic Science, PO Box 162367, Orlando, FL 32816-2367, USA.
authors.forename: Erin K
authors.initials: EK
authors.lastname: Hanson
authors.affiliation: National Center for Forensic Science, PO Box 162367, Orlando, FL 32816-2367, USA; Department of Chemistry, University of Central Florida, PO Box 162366, Orlando, FL 32816-2366, USA.
authors.forename: Jack
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Ballantyne
authors.affiliation: International Forensic Research Institute, Florida International University, Miami, FL, USA.
authors.forename: Beatrice
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Kallifatidis
authors.affiliation: International Forensic Research Institute, Florida International University, Miami, FL, USA.
authors.forename: Julian
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Mendel
authors.affiliation: International Forensic Research Institute, Florida International University, Miami, FL, USA; Department of Biological Sciences, Florida International University, Miami, FL, USA.
authors.forename: DeEtta K
authors.initials: DK
authors.lastname: Mills
authors.affiliation: Product Development Group, LGC Forensics, Culham Science Centre, Abingdon, OX14 3ED.
authors.forename: Randy
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Nagy
authors.affiliation: Product Development Group, LGC Forensics, Culham Science Centre, Abingdon, OX14 3ED.
authors.forename: Simon
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Wells
mesh_terms: D004247:DNA / Q000235:genetics*; D005456:Fluorescent Dyes; D053803:Forensic Genetics; D006801:Humans; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction
chemical_list: D005456:Fluorescent Dyes; D004247:DNA
keywords: DNA detection; Direct PCR; Evidence triage; Melt curve analysis; Rapid DNA; STR analysis.