Affymetrix said this week that it has signed an agreement with South Korea's DNA Link granting that company a worldwide license to develop and commercialize a forensic test for comprehensive human identification and other diagnostic tests using Affymetrix's microarray technology and GeneChip System 3000Dx v.2.
The test, called Accu ID Chip, is a SNP marker-based array for personal identification that can be applied to a variety of forensic samples, including degraded DNA samples. This array combines Affymetrix's target resequencing array technology and multiplexing PCR technology to genotype hundreds of SNP markers in a single experiment to obtain high-quality data and a wide variety of information with high throughput and cost efficiency, the companies said.
The Promega PowerPlex Y23 System is now approved for use in laboratories that generate DNA records for the National DNA Index System, Promega said this week.
Launched in July 2012, the PowerPlex Y23 System is a rapid human identification Y-chromosome short tandem repeat assay for forensic casework, offender databasing, and relationship testing.
The system detects substantially more Y-STR loci than current systems, and cuts thermal cycling time roughly in half compared to existing systems, Promega said. The platform co-amplifies 23 Y-STR loci for maximum discrimination. In addition, the system includes all of the Y-STR loci found in key public STR databases in the US and Europe. The additional loci and increased haplotype resolution improve scientists' ability to distinguish individuals from different paternal lines.
PowerPlex Y23 works with extracted DNA, including DNA from difficult samples with lower amounts of template and male:female mixtures. The company provides streamlined protocols for all sample types.
3M Food Safety said last week that its 3M Molecular Detection Assay Listeria method has received a matrix extension for select foods through the AOAC Research Institute's performance-tested methods program.
An expansion of prior PTM certification from AOAC-RI, the new certification allows the 3M assay to be applied to food and beverage processors. In recent years, several large outbreaks of listeriosis have been linked to contaminated manufactured foods ranging from vegetables to milk to meat, 3M said.
The 3M Molecular Detection System is based on isothermal DNA amplification and bioluminescence detection technologies. The company also has AOAC-PTM validations for compatible assays designed for Escherichia coli O157 (including H7) and Salmonella.