Semester

Fall

Date of Graduation

2019

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Type

MS

College

Eberly College of Arts and Sciences

Department

Forensic and Investigative Science

Committee Chair

Jeremy Dawson

Committee Member

Clif Bishop

Committee Member

Tina Moroose

Abstract

DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) has become an integral part of forensic science in the last couple of decades since its discovery to this application by Alec Jeffreys. Although there have been many advances throughout the years, the time it takes to obtain a DNA profile using conventional methods in a laboratory setting is approximately 24 to 72 hours. Due to this length of time and the increase in demand for DNA testing, it has caused a tremendous amount of backlog throughout the country. In 2009, the FBI (Federal Bureau of Investigation) in collaboration with the US Department of Defense of Homeland Security provided incentives for the development of hands free, non-laboratory DNA typing equipment. Due to these incentives, two instruments were created in the United States in 2012 that met the FBI’s Rapid DNA initiative to produce CODIS (Combined DNA Index System) compatible DNA profiles within two hours. One of these instruments known as the RapidHITTM 200 was developed by IntegenX. Initially, the focus for rapid DNA technology was for buccal swabs but other forensic type materials have been analyzed and DNA profiles were successfully obtained with RapidHITTM 200. Most often though, recovering DNA found in biological samples at crime scenes can be challenging since it may be degraded and therefore limited in its quality and quantity. This study evaluated the DNA profile generated by RapidHITTM 200 and the DNA profile obtained using conventional methods in a laboratory setting with blood samples that have been degraded. Degradation of blood samples occurred with either exposure to UV light for varying times or by incubating in extreme heat with added humidity for 24 hours with varying temperatures. The results of the study have determined if profiles from degraded samples are concordant between the RapidHITTM 200 and conventional laboratory methods.

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