What is it about?
The method we describe can be used to obtain mitochondrial DNA from up to 48 hairs in one run. This DNA can be used for human identification purposes when the nuclear DNA has become degraded or is present in too low amounts to analyze with short tandem repeats. In missing persons cases, for example, one obtains the mitochondrial DNA from female relatives and sequences certain regions for comparison with the mitochondrial DNA from the victim.
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Why is it important?
With automation, variation in yield due to person-to-person variation in technique and bench skills for the manual extraction method should be eliminated. In mass disaster scenarios, there may be many samples to analyze and the automated approach will be useful for saving time.
Perspectives
This work adds to others describing pressure cycling methodology for isolation of biological macromolecules. Often, these molecules require someone with "golden hands" to isolate in good form and activity. The use of the Barocycler eliminates the need for a technician or researcher who has exceptional bench skills, as anyone can run the machine, even a novice.
James M Robertson
FBI Academy
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Isolation of Mitochondrial DNA from Single, Short Hairs without Roots Using Pressure Cycling Technology, SLAS TECHNOLOGY, October 2017, SAGE Publications,
DOI: 10.1177/2472630317732073.
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