The Best Way to Compete for ‘Solving Cold Cases With DNA’
The Justice Department (NIJ) has awarded $14 million in grants for cold case squads to review unsolved crimes for potential DNA testing. 38 awards were selected out of 132 proposals. The grants are part of the President’s DNA Initiative, Advancing Justice Through DNA Technology, a five-year, more than $1 billion effort to eliminate casework and the convicted offender backlog; improve crime lab capacity; provide DNA training; provide for post-conviction DNA testing; and conduct testing to identify missing persons.
To compete for many governments’ outsourcing contracts of no-suspect samples, a private forensic DNA testing laboratory’s capability of automation and high through-put production of DNA profiles has become necessity. Being able to control the casework workflow, to track samples handling and data management, to record both the sample and batch history, and to aid the supervision of result data using LIMS is essential to free up DNA scientists’ time from administrative overhead such as writing notes and redundancy such as repetitive paperwork with the short turnaround time.
To control the casework workflow, Starfruit IdentiTrack® Laboratory Information Management System (LIMS) provides Protocol Management. To track samples handling and data management, Starfruit provides Starfruit Barcode Technology and Starfruit Smart Card Electronic Signature. To record both the sample and batch history, Starfruit provides Plate Management. To aid and to interpret the result data, Starfruit provides instrumentation interface data, population statistics calculation, frequency databases, import files to COmbined DNA Index System (CODIS). The ultimate goal of Starfruit is to eliminate the bottleneck of the interpretation of analytical results and the technical review process by providing all and comprehensive casework data, electronically.
About Data Unlimited International, Inc. (DUII)
DUII is a private-held company with concentration in forensic, healthcare and bioinformatics. DUII develops and markets laboratory information management system (LIMS), 21CFR11-aware computational infrastructure, and Standard Operating Procedure (SOP)-driven networks. These satisfy the requirements of 21CRF11 by authority check, operational system check, device check, SOP, electronic signature and closed systems. DUII creates tools to enhance communication and to enforce compliance. www.duii.com
