Ultrafast STR Separations on Short-Channel Microfluidic Systems for Forensic Screening and Genotyping.
There are situations in which it is important to quickly and positively identify an individual. Examples include suspects detained in the neighborhood of a bombing or terrorist incident, individuals detained attempting to enter or leave the country, and victims of mass disasters. Systems utilized for these purposes must be fast, portable, and easy to maintain. DNA typing methods provide the best biometric information yielding identity, kinship, and geographical origin, but they are not portable and rapid. This study details the development of a portable short-channel microfluidic device based on a modified Agilent 2100 bioanalyzer for applications in forensic genomics. The system utilizes a denaturing polymer matrix with dual-channel laser-induced fluorescence and is capable of producing a genotype in 80 sec. The device was tested for precision and resolution using an allelic ladder created from 6 short tandem repeat (STR) loci and a sex marker (amelogenin). The results demonstrated a precision of 0.09-0.21 bp over the entire size range and resolution values from 2.5 to 4.1 bp. Overall, the results demonstrate the chip provides a portable, rapid, and precise method for screening amplified short tandem repeats and human identification screening.
Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Florida International University, Modesto Maidique Campus, FIU- 11200 SW 8th St., OE 294A, Miami, FL, 33199.
Maurice J
MJ
Aboud
Agilent Technologies, R&D and Marketing GmbH & Co KG, Hewlett-Packard-Str. 8, 76337, Waldbronn, Germany.
Marcus
M
Gassmann
Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Florida International University, Modesto Maidique Campus, FIU- 11200 SW 8th St., OE 294A, Miami, FL, 33199.
Bruce
B
McCord
D053523:Amelogenin / Q000235:genetics; D016172:DNA Fingerprinting / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods; D004586:Electrophoresis; D005260:Female; D005819:Genetic Markers; D005838:Genotype; D006801:Humans; D056656:Lab-On-A-Chip Devices; D008297:Male; D018895:Microsatellite Repeats; D015203:Reproducibility of Results
D053523:Amelogenin; D005819:Genetic Markers
DNA; electrophoresis; forensic science; genotyping; microfluidic; short tandem repeat