Michael P. Harrold

AutoMate Express™ Forensic DNA Extraction System for the Extraction of Genomic DNA from Biological Samples*

Abstract:  The AutoMate Express™ Forensic DNA Extraction System was developed for automatic isolation of DNA from a variety of forensic biological samples. The performance of the system was investigated using a wide range of biological samples. Depending on the sample type, either PrepFiler™ lysis buffer or PrepFiler BTA™ lysis buffer was used to lyse the samples. After lysis and removal of the substrate using LySep™ column, the lysate in the sample tubes were loaded onto AutoMate Express™ instrument and DNA was extracted using one of the two instrument extraction protocols. Our study showed that DNA was recovered from as little as 0.025 μL of blood. DNA extracted from casework‐type samples was free of detectable PCR inhibitors and the short tandem repeat profiles were complete, conclusive, and devoid of any PCR artifacts. The system also showed consistent performance from day‐to‐day operation.