NEW YORK (GenomeWeb) – Pressure BioSciences said today it is collaborating with Southern University at New Orleans (SUNO) to improve and expand the applications for the company's pressure cycling technology for detecting DNA in forensic samples.
The work will be led by Pam Marshall, an assistant professor in the department of natural sciences at SUNO, who will continue research into incorporating PCT into the testing protocol for poor-quality bone samples. In previous efforts, she demonstrated that the technology could improve the detection of DNA from such samples. In addition to continuing that work, Marshall will investigate other forensic applications for the PCT method, Pressure Bio said.
In a statement, she noted the possible use of the technology as a method to reduce the poaching of wildlife. "If successful, this could lead to the use of PCT for the extraction of DNA from a variety of difficult samples,"Marshall said, adding that one of the first projects could be the use of PCT to extract DNA from seized African elephant ivory samples.
Financial and other terms of the deal were not disclosed.