Y-Screening and Direct Amplification of Sexual Assault Evidence Kit Samples
In this webinar, Promega and Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office present:
- An overview of the Casework Direct Kit, which rapidly generates lysates from casework samples.
- How these lysates may be subsequently used in amplification based assays such as the
PowerQuant® System to quantify human DNA, determine male / female DNA ratio,
predict PCR inhibition, and assess DNA degradation. - Data and insights from the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office evaluation of a
Casework Direct Kit prototype, including an overview of how they plan to use the
kit in their sexual assault evidence kit processing workflow.
Summary
Screening for sperm in sexual assault samples is a laborious process with limited sensitivity compared to male DNA detection by amplification. Direct amplification of casework samples reduces the potential for DNA loss during purification, a special concern with low-template samples. In this webinar, Promega presents an overview of the Casework Direct Kit, and the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office describes how they plan to use the kit in their sexual assault evidence processing.
This webinar is presented by Forensic Magazine.
Speakers
Ms. Amy McGuckian
Technical Leader
Forensic Biology Unit
Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office
Amy McGuckian received her Bachelor of Science in Biology from Siena College in Loudonville, New York, and her Master of Science in Forensic Science from the George Washington University in Washington, DC. She is currently employed by the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office where she has served as the Technical Leader of the Forensic Biology Unit for the past 13 years. She is a member of the Scientific Working Group on DNA Analysis and Methods (SWGDAM), the Organization of Scientific Area Committees for Forensic Science (OSAC) and the American Academy of Forensic Sciences, and is a Fellow of the American Board of Criminalistics.
Dr. Anupama Gopalakrishnan
Product Manager
Genetic Identity
Promega Corporation
Anupama Gopalakrishnan earned her PhD in Life Sciences in India. Five years ago, following post-doctoral research at UC Irvine and UW Madison, she joined Promega as a Technical Services Scientist supporting Genetic Identity products. With a strong technical background in STR, she joined the Promega Genetic Identity Marketing team in May 2015 as a Product Specialist. In this role, she supports product development and product management by gathering market research and product metrics, and supporting new product releases.