Automated processing of sexual assault samples to enable rapid DNA analysis

点击翻译按钮获取中文摘要

In this NSERC Alliance proposal, The Ontario Centre for Forensic Sciences (CFS), ANDE, and the Wheeler research group at the University of Toronto have come together to explore the development of next-generation automated forensic DNA typing systems for processing sexual assault samples. We are an ideal team to pursue this project, as CFS is the largest forensic science institute in Canada and coordinates the deployment of tools for forensic analysis on the ground in the province and beyond, ANDE is the global leader in the manufacture and sales of Rapid DNA Analysis systems, which are being leveraged around the globe in use cases spanning criminal investigations, missing persons, sex crimes, border security and disaster victim identification, and the Wheeler group has a long track record in automating intricate, multi-step sample processing procedures using the two techniques envisioned for the proposal, digital microfluidics (DMF) and optoelectronic tweezers (OET). We propose to develop two new automated system that will bridge critical gaps that stand in the way of automated analysis of sexual assault samples. The first system will automate differential extraction using DMF for "typical" sexual assault samples; the second will automate an OET-driven cell sorting technique to extract small numbers of sperm cells from degraded samples (that are, today, often not testable). If successful, these systems should be operable close to the point of need (in hospitals and police stations), which, if distributed widely, would dramatically reducing the time required for analysis of sexual assaults. Thus, this project is much more than a standard "industry-academia" collaboration (of the sort that is funded by NSERC "option 1" Alliance grants). This project has the potential to result in deep and widely experienced societal impact in Canada, making it appropriate for the unique "option 2" mechanism of Alliance grants.