ParaDNA® Technology: A Tool for Rapid Identification of DNA and Body Fluids

Abstract

The development of new technologies and their applications within forensic science are crucial for the advancement of this discipline. The use of rapid DNA profiling and confirmatory body fluid identification are two such areas of research which have evolved based on a requirement from law-enforcement agencies to have access to rapid forensic intelligence, as an investigation progresses, in real time. This novel analysis technique is a nondestructive process which now permits investigators the ability to perform rapid screening, triaging, and forensic intelligence gathering at the laboratory or directly at the scene, even in the most challenging of operational environments. The multifunctional aspect of this technology provides forensic practitioners with the ability to use a single system to perform a range of different forensic tests, all of which have been designed to be practical, user friendly, and without the requirement for expert review of the results. The ParaDNA Screening Test was created to provide investigators with a more reliable approach to the triaging of evidence by delivering the ability to ascertain which crime stains contain DNA and therefore represent 434which are the likeliest samples to deliver probative evidential results. The ParaDNA Intelligence Test adds additional power to the ability to triage crime stains by delivering a DNA profile, providing investigators the capacity to facilitate victim exclusions, suspect identifications, or support them with the capability to link crime scenes together. The ParaDNA Body Fluid ID Test can be used for rapid confirmatory analysis of six different body fluid types commonly encountered by forensic practitioners. It also has the ability to determine whether a sample contains multiple body fluids in a single stain and is the first commercial tool to specifically identify the presence of vaginal fluids. This chapter outlines the research, development, validation, and implementation of the ParaDNA® System including its range of applications within the forensic field and a case study of its integration and utilization into the forensic workflow by a US police department.