Quick Non-DNA ID

found by troym; comments by blogger jgl

Interesting. I hadn't heard anything about this until Troy sent it in. It is the quick DNA test everyone has been looking for, except this one doesn't use DNA! And everyone thought anitbodies were so 1980s...

Identity Sciences, LLC (IDS), with its strategic science partner the Idaho National Laboratory (INL), has been awarded a 2008 R&D 100 Award for AbP ID(TM), a new groundbreaking forensic human identification test. The new product, scheduled to be available to forensic labs in late 2009 or early 2010, will be used as a screening tool for DNA and can deliver accurate, reliable results in as little as two hours... ...The Chicago Tribune calls the award "The Oscars of Invention." Previous winners include the fax machine, the Automated Teller Machine (ATM), the cancer drug Taxol, the Nicoderm anti-smoking patch and HDTV... ...The AbP ID test analyzes Individual Specific Auto-antibodies (ISAs), found in all human body tissues and fluids. It is unlike the current standard forensic testing method which reads DNA in human cells. The AbP ID test can determine whether the antibody profile of the evidence found at a crime scene matches the profile of a suspect. The initial product release will use blood serum and dried blood, and will provide results in just two hours. Other AbP ID tests which are now in development will use semen, saliva and perspiration, delivering results in less than five hours.

I'm trying to think when screening would be useful. For all evidence samples, I'm assuming DNA would be analyzed anyway. Plus, I'm wondering how much sample would be needed to run one of these tests. I suppose they could be used to screen suspects quickly. But would a "no match" mean absolute exclusion, not requiring a DNA "double check"?

BYOS - Dali DNA

by blogger jgl

AAFS Annual Meeting (BYOS):

This was a neat one. Michael Rieders tells the story of his obsession (sort of) with Salvador Dali and how he really wanted to get his hands on Dali's DNA.

How did he do it? After many offers of materials lacking reliability ("I have his moustache!"), eventually a friend of Dali turned up with a nasogastric tube that Dali used when recovering from a house fire incident during his later years. It had some blood and goop on it and resulted in a single male profile.

Why do it? For fun, mainly. But it does open up the chance to authenticate some works of art that may have Dali's "fluids" on them. Or test his DNA for a genius gene. Cloning was mentioned.

Two camments for any of my students or amateur forensic scientists... the nasogastric tube was stored for years in paper. Good news, right... air dry, no moisture, no bacteria to degrade the DNA. Also, it was mentioned they used the Takayama test to determine there was, in fact, blood on the tube. Takayama!? Who does crystal tests these days? Why not TMB? Is there a sensitivity issue I'm not aware of, or are just dealing with show-offs?

Here's Lookin at You, Crook.

not your typical serial killers

by blogger jgl

AAFS Annual Meeting:

On Wednesday, there is not much going on other than some posters and the exhibits. I didn’t make it in time for the posters, but all the exhibits were out in full force.

One that was interesting to me was the Trace Genetics booth. Some other companies are doing this too. It seems most of their work is done for the public. They send you a swab, you send them your cheek cells, then they analyze your DNA and tell you about your ancestry (80% European, 20% Native American, etc.). Now you know if you can open that casino you always wanted.

Why not do it in casework? They can also analyze DNA from a crime scene and tell you about the ancestry of the perpetrator. Not a lot of police agencies are spending the money to do this, but in some circumstances they are. We’re getting closer to being able to produce a “picture” of an individual from DNA alone. Good thing or potential for abuse? What the heck, I say good thing. Maybe we can get a more accurate profile of serial killers beyond "white male, mid-30s, military background, loner".

More to come…