InnoGenomics has developed a nanotech method, SpermX™, that drastically increases usable results of DNA testing of sexual assault samples
Forensic laboratories have long struggled to find the best practice for obtaining sufficient DNA from bone specimens. Any new protocol must overcome the extraction efficiency hurdle while also limiting the presence of PCR inhibitors, thus permitting the generation of utilizable STR profiles from this challenging medium. This blog post elaborates on a presentation by InnoGenomics at the 2022 American Academy of Forensic Science meeting, where we offered just such a solution for DNA extraction from bone.
Ten years ago, a nonprofit organization called Hope Exists After Rape Trauma (or H-E-A-R-T) began offering retreats for survivors. These events gave victims a space to talk with other victims, share experiences, and heal from sexual assault and abuse. Many survivors find this opportunity for peer-to-peer support to be more effective than working one-on-one with a professional counselor. InnoGenomics would like to celebrate this anniversary of hope and recovery, as well as congratulate H-E-A-R-T on the impact of their broader programming!
We are thrilled to announce the completion of the validation of our SpermX methodology. With data under review for publication, we hope our product will pave the way for swifter justice for victims of sexual assault.
Many forensic DNA labs only process hairs with an intact root present, since it’s challenging to isolate DNA from rootless hair shafts. InnoGenomics is proud to share that, together, our extraction and purification system combined with a small amplicon DNA typing system can help solve this problem. By using the InnoXtract and InnoTyper 21 (IT21) kits together, isolation and typing of nuclear DNA from rootless hair shafts can become achievable. And we have an exciting announcement coming soon for degraded bone samples.
At InnoGenomics, our advice for forensic labs tends to follow a theme: make key investments in your staff and your lab, because outsourcing casework is not a long-term solution. So, you can trust us when we say that sometimes, outsourcing is actually the right way to overcome a backlog. We still don’t recommend outsourcing the casework itself. That does nothing to help you prevent backlogs in the future. But this blog post covers some tasks that, when contracted to a team with specialized expertise, can build permanent capacity for your team to handle a higher throughput.
A high-throughput forensic DNA laboratory is a complex machine. It needs maintenance to ensure that the day-to-day strain of one step in the process doesn’t reduce the efficiency of the whole. This is especially true with sexual assault casework, which has proven so vulnerable to backlogs.
State by state, progress continues in eliminating the backlog of untested sexual assault kits. With each milestone, probative power is tapped. Processing these kits means brand new leads, justice for victims, and exoneration for the innocent. But some states are catching up by outsourcing this work to third-party laboratories. Unfortunately,…
In the world of forensic science and criminalistics, the sharing of ideas among researchers, professionals, and companies is critical to moving the industry forward. For such a multidisciplinary and novel field, new ideas, new technologies, and new applications are pivotal. So, with in-person events largely shut down by the pandemic,…
The kind of agencies that employ DNA analysts are also the kind that can’t afford to compromise their mission. Redirecting a seasoned analyst to train a new hire risks a slow-down in processing DNA samples—or exacerbating an existing case backlog. That’s why the National Forensic Science Technology Center at Florida…
InnoGenomics never misses a visit to the American Academy of Forensic Sciences’ Annual Scientific Meeting. The next one is coming up on February 17-22., and we’re sharing our “can’t miss” sessions in this blog post. With InnoGenomics’ focus on forensic DNA challenges, much of the conference content below focuses on…
A guest blog by Ryan Gutierrez, PhD candidate, Sam Houston State University Though commonly found at crime scenes, hair’s reputation as a low-quality forensic sample results in this tissue being underutilized as evidence. Rootless hair shafts, with their low template and degraded DNA, are particularly challenging. Alternative forensic testing workflows,…
The International Symposium on Human Identification is right around the corner. As the largest annual meeting focused on DNA forensics, ISHI is essential attendance for InnoGenomics staff. This year, we’re interested in hearing from the experts on the extraction of genetic material from mixtures and other challenging samples. We’re also…
Crime labs struggling with DNA analysis can apply for millions in federal assistance. Before receiving an award, it’s hard to imagine struggling to spend it. But some agencies find themselves with more leftover funding than expected—and an end to the grant period looming. In this case, a retroactive amendment may…
How can one of the most important forensic investigative procedures be so flawed? Currently, the analysis of sexual assault kits is tedious and requires skilled technicians, yet still fails to recover large amounts of DNA evidence. InnoGenomics plans to change this by giving laboratories a scalable sperm extraction solution to…
Raising capital for a startup is a major undertaking—especially in the highly regulated, capital-intensive field of diagnostics. The challenge is multiplied for startups based far outside of major centers of biomedical innovation. But there’s good news for New Orleans: a mentor with expertise, experience, and an open door can make…
In the case of IEDs, terrorism investigators struggle to obtain a high-quality genetic profile of a suspect. Often only a low-template or degraded DNA sample can be collected. But according to a recent study, the InnoTyper 21 kit empowers forensics labs to bring these criminals to justice. In one of…
The backlog of rape kits awaiting DNA analysis continues to make headlines. And the stories often focus on the numbers, especially the shockingly large volume of untested kits. But as forensics professionals, we must always stay conscious of the fact that each of those untested samples represents a person—someone who…
DNA forensics labs have long struggled to analyze highly compromised evidence using short tandem repeat (STR) loci. Retrotransposable element insertion polymorphisms, or INNULs, have shown promise as an alternative for these specific sample types. But INNULs analysis raised its own challenges that, until now, prevented its application as a multiplexed…
Validation papers for the InnoTyper 21 and InnoQuant Kits are now published! Plus third party studies demonstrating utility for forensic DNA casework. Links to all the publications can be found here...
In studies conducted by the NIST (National Institute of Standards and Technology) Applied Genetics Group, the InnoTyper 21 kit proved to be more discriminating than traditional STR and mini-STR multiplexes for degraded DNA fragments less than 150 base pairs in size. The studies, which were presented in a recent AAFS…
2016 was a big year for InnoGenomics, with the commercial release of our DNA testing kits, InnoTyper 21 and InnoQuant HY, that enable forensic DNA laboratories to successfully analyze challenging biological samples. The announcement garnered exposure in GenomeWeb and other media outlets, while fruitful collaborations with prominent members of the…
While 2016 had its share of highlights for us (see http://innogenomics.com/news/2016-highlights/), we are most excited about what lies ahead. We would like to express our sincere gratitude to all our partners, colleagues, clients and friends. Your support and collaboration makes this journey more enjoyable and worthwhile. Cheers to an innovative…
InnoGenomics has released new DNA testing kits that allow forensic DNA laboratories to get useful results from challenging biological samples that frequently fail with traditional systems. The new technology is fully compatible with current laboratory instrumentation for seamless implementation.
Mark Lewis, our digital gumbo expert, with Jonathan Tabak, the Vice President of Inno-Genomics Technologies, explains how a liquid biopsy could make a major impact on the way doctors diagnose cancer patients. Watch the full video here.