Category Archives: DNA

SAN DIEGO & PLEASANTON, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

IntegenX Inc., a leading developer of rapid human DNA identification technology, today announced the commercial availability of its RapidHIT 200 Human DNA Identification System in the U.S. at the 2012 International Association of Chiefs of Police Conference and Exposition in San Diego, California. Representatives from IntegenX are on site at the meeting to demonstrate the self-contained desktop system, which is the first commercially available rapid DNA device.

Rapid DNA analysis is a transformative technology that promises to fundamentally change the way investigations are conducted by enabling law enforcement personnel to quickly and definitively link a suspects DNA to a crime scene, or eliminate suspicion, all while the suspect is still in police custody.

The RapidHIT 200 System provides actionable intelligence by automating and accelerating the process of producing standardized DNA profiles from cheek swabs in about 90 minutes. This is compared to a process that currently takes up to eight instruments and at least a day in a specialized lab, with results typically returned to police in weeks to months.

Stevan Jovanovich, President and Chief Executive Officer of IntegenX commented: The availability of this technology now will revolutionize the use of DNA in law enforcement. We see the implementation of rapid DNA as reinforcing the partnership between crime labs and police putting more power in their hands to get DNA results faster. Law enforcement agencies have been waiting a long time for this capability. We are proud to be the first to deliver it and to say Rapid DNA is here!

Numerous international law enforcement and security agencies use DNA-based human identification to make informed decisions regarding the arrest, detention or release of suspects, as well as to analyze crime scene evidence. By integrating what was until now a multi-step, multi-system process, rapid DNA technology has the potential to accelerate and expand the use of proven DNA technologies to help the efforts of law enforcement, homeland security, and defense to create safer communities and a safer world.

One of the first police departments to place an order for the RapidHIT 200 System is Palm Bay, Florida, an organization known for its progressive use of DNA to solve high volume crimes.

We are extremely proud of what we have been able to accomplish so far using DNA, and expect the RapidHIT 200 System to greatly accelerate our efforts, said Doug Muldoon, Police Chief of Palm Bay. Based on our experience, the more we can use this ultimate identification tool in our work, the more our crime rates go down and our case closure rates go up. That is good news for creating safer communities for our citizens. Rapid DNA will enhance our methods for dealing with high volume crimes using our locally created database.

This is one of the best crime fighting tools we have seen in decades. It allows law enforcement to identify the bad guys and put them in jail. It also protects the innocent from going to jail for a crime they did not commit, added Chief Muldoon.

Dr. Jovanovich will speak along with Chief Muldoon and the Denver District Attorney, Mitch Morrissey, during a press conference today at the IACP meeting at 9:00 a.m. PT. For more information about IACP, please visit: http://www.theiacpconference.org.

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IntegenX Announces U.S. Launch of the RapidHIT™ 200 System – Rapid DNA Technology That Will Revolutionize the Use of ...

1 October 2012 Last updated at 12:38 ET

Forensic procedures carried out by a private firm which wrongly linked the DNA of a man to a rape were "not adequate", a report says.

Adam Scott, from Devon, was held for a couple of months after being accused of raping a woman in Manchester.

The charges were dropped when it emerged a DNA sample had been contaminated at LGC Forensics.

Forensic Science Regulator Andrew Rennison said Mr Scott was an "innocent victim of avoidable contamination".

LGC Forensics said that it "deeply regrets the incident of contamination".

Mr Scott was charged in 23 October 2011 after a plastic tray containing a sample of his DNA was re-used in the analysis of a swab from a rape victim in Plant Hill Park, Blackley. The result of that test linked him to the crime.

The report said police investigating the rape allegations raised concerns seven weeks later because phone records suggested Mr Scott had been in Plymouth a few hours after the alleged attack.

In March this year, the government wound up the Forensic Science Service, leaving private companies and police laboratories to take on its work.

That month, news emerged of the DNA mix-up involving Adam Scott at the Teddington lab of the biggest private provider, LGC.

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Rape DNA process 'not adequate'

Mumbai, Oct. 1 -- The forensic lab in Pune will soon have DNA testing facilities and share the workload of the Kalina FSL, speeding up cases delayed by over 2,000 pending DNA test reports.

Currently, the forensic science laboratories at Kalina and Nagpur handle DNA testing for all crimes in Maharashtra. The DNA testing facility will be set up in Pune FSL by December and tackle samples found at crime scenes in Pune and nine surrounding districts. These were earlier sent to the Kalina lab. Being spared this workload will help the Kalina FSL work through over 2,000 samples it is yet to test. Some of these samples have remained untested for years.

Setting up the facility will cost the state about Rs. 1-3 crore, according to state FSL director Dr MK Malve. "We have got approval for setting up a DNA testing facility at the Pune FSL as well. Currently, only our forensic labs in Mumbai and Nagpur have facilities for testing DNA," he said.

The DNA testing facility at Pune will also cater to nine districts around Pune. "Most of these districts would send DNA samples to the Mumbai FSL for testing. The Mumbai FSL finds it hard to cope with the rising number of DNA samples from cases in Mumbai alone. The samples sent from other districts only added to the workload," said an official from Mumbai FSL.

"It should help reduce the Mumbai FSL's DNA testing workload by at least 25%," Malve said. Currently, the Nagpur FSL tackles samples from districts in eastern Maharashtra, while the rest of the districts send samples to Kalina FSL.

Several case probes have been seriously delayed because of the FSL's backlog, including investigation into the three cases of minors raped and murdered in Colaba and Cuffe Parade last year.

Published by HT Syndication with permission from Hindustan Times.

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DNA testing facility in Pune to speed up cases in Mumbai

A Louisiana man has been released from death row, becoming the 300th prisoner nationwide to be freed after DNA evidence showed he was innocent.

Of those 300 prisoners, 18 had been on death row, according to lawyers from the New York-based Innocence Project.

"It feels good. I'm still processing it," said Damon Thibodeaux, 38, when reached by phone in New Orleans.

A Jefferson Parish judge overturned his murder conviction Friday and ordered Thibodeaux released after 16 years in prison, 15 on death row. The decision was one of several recent exonerations across the country.

Last Monday, John Edward Smith was released from a Los Angeles jail nearly two decades after he was wrongfully imprisoned in connection with a gang-related shooting. In August, Chicago prosecutors moved to dismiss murder charges against Alprentiss Nash 17 years after he was convicted of a murder that recent DNA tests indicated he didn't commit. Earlier that month in Texas, David Lee Wiggins was freed after DNA tests cleared him of a rape for which he had served 24 years.

Thibodeaux, a deckhand, was convicted in 1997 and sentenced to death after he confessed to the July 19, 1996, rape and murder of his 14-year-old step-cousin, Crystal Champagne, in Westwego, a dozen miles southwest of New Orleans.

The girl was last seen alive by her family when she left their Westwego apartment to go to a nearby Winn-Dixie grocery store. When she failed to return, her parents alerted police and a search ensued.

Her body was discovered the next evening under a bridge, her pants pulled down, a wire ligature around her neck; she appeared to have been strangled. That night, detectives began interrogating potential witnesses, including Thibodeaux.

After a lengthy interrogation, Thibodeaux confessed to raping and murdering Crystal, a confession that became the primary basis for his conviction in October 1997.

He unsuccessfully appealed his conviction in 1999, arguing that he was coerced into giving a false, unrecorded confession after being interrogated for nine hours by Jefferson Parish sheriff's investigators. He also said that there was insufficient evidence to convict him and that he did not receive a fair trial.

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DNA evidence exonerates 300th prisoner nationwide

General news

DNA testing, often a difficult process, can help identify who was the victim was in a murder cause, but other evidence is needed to convict the murderer as is becoming clear in the case where a police doctor is the main suspect.

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Pol Lt Gen Jaramporn Suramanee explains the procedures used in testing for DNA in bone samples that have been buried for a long time. WASSAYOS NGAMKHAM

Click button to listen to DNA test and rightclick to download

Identifying three corpses dug up at Phetchaburi site a painstaking task

Wassayos Ngamkham

Pol Lt Gen Jaramporn Suramanee. WASSAYOS NGAMKHAM

While murder suspect Supat Laohawattana has been arrested in connection with the disappearance of a couple in Phetchaburi, the case remains shrouded in mystery.

Police investigators are gathering forensic evidence to establish the identity of three skeletons dug up from the suspect's pineapple orchard in Phetchaburi. They're also putting pieces of evidence together to see if their deaths were connected to him.

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DNA testing has its limits

28-09-2012 17:56 DNA evidence helped lead to new charges against a Kansas City man in a series of rapes dating back to the 1980s.

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DNA link prompts charges in cold case rapes - Video

28-09-2012 22:53 False confession by Damon Thibodeaux leads to 1997 conviction of murder and rape of step-cousin.

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DNA exonerates man after 15 years on death row - Video

Latest Womens Health News

WEDNESDAY, Sept. 26 (HealthDay News) -- Male DNA and cells are commonly found in some women's brains and most likely come from male fetuses, according to a small new study.

The medical implications of male DNA and male cells in women's brains are unknown. Previous studies of microchimerism -- the presence of genetic material and cells that were exchanged between fetuses and mothers during pregnancy -- have linked it to autoimmune diseases and cancer in both helpful and harmful ways.

Researchers at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle analyzed brain autopsy specimens from 59 women who died between the ages of 32 and 101. Male DNA was detected in 63 percent of the women and was distributed in various brain regions. The oldest woman with male DNA was 94.

Thirty-three of the 59 women in the study had Alzheimer's disease. These women had a somewhat lower prevalence of male DNA, which was present in lower concentrations in regions of the brain most affected by Alzheimer's.

Because of the small number of women in the study and their largely unknown pregnancy history, it is not possible to establish a link between Alzheimer's disease and levels of male DNA and cells from a fetus, the researchers said in a cancer center news release.

They also added that the study does not show an association between male microchimerism in women's brains and their health or risk of disease. Further research is needed to investigate this area.

The study was published Sept. 26 in the journal PLoS One.

-- Robert Preidt

Copyright 2012 HealthDay. All rights reserved.

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Some Women's Brains Contain Male DNA: Study

LEAMINGTON SPA, UNITED KINGDOM--(Marketwire - Sep 25, 2012) - DNA Dynamics, Inc. ( PINKSHEETS : DNAD ), a global developer and publisher of mobile video games and applications, announces today that it is to unveil the first of its new Sports Game at GDC Online in Austin in October.

The Company recently announced that it had hired Kevin Corti to head up studio operations. Kevin took responsibility on day one for reworking Warheads Battle to turn the 100,000 users into a more profitable part of the DNA Games business. Moreover, Kevin was given the task of developing the two exciting social mobile games that DNA is working on right now.One of these games, a Sports Based Social Mobile Game, is to be announced at GDC Online in Austin, TX this October.

This comes hot on the back of the decision to close down one of its subsidiaries, DNA Interactive Limited, the company responsible for the Naked Gun: ICUP license, as the game just failed to hit the numbers expected.

Talking of the experience of the Naked Gun game, CEO Ed Blincoe had this to say, "We learnt a lot of lessons working with the Naked Gun license, more than we had wanted to. After DNA initially being mis-sold the Naked Gun license by GameCentric Media and a widespread, but misplaced, belief that DNA had received AppBackr funds, the game itself just missed the mark. We were always frustrated when AppBackr's Backers thought we had received their funds -- we didn't receive a dime from AppBackr, though we understand that GameCentric Media may have received some of the pledged funds."

When talking about the quality of the game, Blincoe says: "In industry reviews as well as user reviews, the game was a real hit with an average rating of 4/5 stars in the AppStore.It just didn't gain enough traction to be a commercial success. Finally, we took the decision to cut the spending and have begun to pull the game. We believe this is in the interest of the business and its shareholders, we make tough decisions here, but ultimately we believe they are the best decisions."

Blincoe continued, "It's a difficult decision to close down a part of the business which isn't performing, but with the new impetus behind the social mobile execution of our business plan, we believe that DNA Dynamics, operating through DNA Games, has a fantastic future. We are very much alive, kicking and looking forward to a successful future."

About DNA Dynamics, Inc. Headquartered in Leamington Spa in the United Kingdom, DNA Dynamics is a worldwide developer and publisher of graphically rich, interactive entertainment currently delivered on iOS, Android, Apple Mac and PC.Through its operating subsidiaries, the Company has created, acquired or licensed a portfolio of highly recognizable or emerging brands that broadly appeal to its consumer demographics, ranging from children to adults and casual gamers to serious enthusiasts.For more information, please go to http://www.dnadynamics.net. You can also follow the Company on Facebook and Twitter.

Forward-Looking Statements This press release may contain forward-looking statements, including information about management's view of DNA Dynamics, Inc.'s future expectations, plans and prospects. In particular, when used in the preceding discussion, the words "believes," "expects," "intends," "plans," "anticipates," or "may," and similar conditional expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Any statements made in this news release other than those of historical fact, about an action, event or development, are forward-looking statements. These statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, which may cause the results of DNA Dynamics, its subsidiaries and concepts to be materially different than those expressed or implied in such statements. Unknown or unpredictable factors also could have material adverse effects on DNA Dynamics' future results. The forward-looking statements included in this press release are made only as of the date hereof. DNA Dynamics cannot guarantee future results, levels of activity, performance or achievements. Accordingly, you should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. Finally, DNA Dynamics undertakes no obligation to update these statements after the date of this release, except as required by law, and also takes no obligation to update or correct information prepared by third parties that are not paid for by DNA Dynamics.

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DNA Dynamics Update on Sports Title

By Dominique Debucquoy-Dodley, CNN

updated 9:17 AM EDT, Wed September 26, 2012

Canadian teenager Colleen MacMillen disappeared while hitchhiking in 1974.

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

(CNN) -- DNA evidence links a now-dead American convict to the murder of a Canadian teenager who disappeared in 1974, authorities in British Columbia said Tuesday.

Bobby Jack Fowler, who died in an Oregon prison in 2006, is responsible for the murder of 16-year-old Colleen MacMillen, Inspector Gary Shinkaruk of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police said at a news conference.

Authorities said while the case is closed on MacMillen's death, investigations continue into the abductions and killings of other women in the same region of Canada, and the search is still on for information in those cases.

"Today's announcement and public plea for assistance is a significant milestone in our commitment to solving a series of missing and murdered women investigations in British Columbia," said Deputy Commissioner Craig Callens, commanding officer of the RCMP in British Columbia.

New DNA work may offer break in 36-year-old Michigan slayings

On August 9, 1974, MacMillen disappeared near Highway 97 in Lac La Hache, British Columbia, according to Shinkaruk. She was found dead 47 kilometers (about 29 miles) south of her last known location.

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DNA solves teen's 1974 murder