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Promega Maxwell® DE System Accelerates Sexual Assault Kit Processing with Automated Protocol

Cells.
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A new DNA extraction kit will accelerate the processing of backlogged sexual assault kits by enabling labs to automate differential extraction of sperm DNA. The Maxwell DE following cell separation, allowing for direct DNA quantification and STR analysis on non-sperm and sperm fractions with Promega PowerQuant® and PowerPlex® Systems. This reduces hands-on processing time, thereby accelerating sexual assault evidence kit sample processing and reducing backlogs.

“With thousands of backlogged sexual assault kits waiting to be processed, forensic casework analysts need to maximise their lab output while ensuring consistent and reliable results,” says Margaret Ewing, Associate Product Manager at Promega Corporation. “Maxwell DE System automates the most laborious steps required in manual systems, helping the lab significantly cut down the time needed to work through this important evidence.”

Existing methods often involve laborious and time-consuming steps to separate male sperm from non-sperm cells, followed by purification of the sperm and non-sperm DNA. The Maxwell DE System automated protocol reduces the time and labour associated with differential extraction, while enhancing throughput and consistency in results.

Maxwell DE System features include:

• Fast, easy-to-use protocol using benchtop Maxwell instrumentation
• Ability to process multiple samples simultaneously
• Designed for compatibility with PowerQuant® quantification and PowerPlex® STR analysis systems

The Maxwell DE System joins an existing portfolio of DNA extraction chemistry developed by Promega.

Promega has been developing and manufacturing products for DNA-based human identification for more than 35 years.