Promega's PowerPlex Fusion System is now approved for use in laboratories that generate DNA records for the National DNA Index System, the company said this week.
NDIS is the US national database containing over ten million offender profiles used to help authorities in solving criminal investigations nationwide, using the FBI's CODIS system.
This approval of PowerPlex Fusion follows the recent NDIS approval of PowerPlex Y23 in January.
Launched in September 2012, PowerPlex Fusion is a 24-locus multiplex that incorporates common and informative loci used throughout the world. The PowerPlex Fusion System enables increased data sharing and greater discriminatory power than seen with previously available STR systems, the company said.
Streamlined protocols are provided to amplify extracted DNA as well as DNA from sample types used for database and paternity testing. Cycling times of less than 90 minutes and reduced sample preparation times significantly shorten the total time needed to process samples, allowing laboratories to focus on more value-added activities, according to Promega.
DuPont said this week that it has combined three of its food-related units — Danisco, Solae, and Qualicon — into one business called DuPont Nutrition & Health.
The BAX System, RiboPrinter System, and other products formerly available from Qualicon have been integrated as the molecular diagnostics product line of DuPont Nutrition & Health, DuPont said.
The BAX System is an automated, benchtop PCR-based detection platform for pathogen and food quality testing. Assays for the BAX System include tests for Salmonella, Escherichia coli, Listeria, Campylobacter, Cronobacter, Vibrio, and various yeasts and molds.
The RiboPrinter System is an automated tool for characterizing and identifying unknown bacterial isolates at or below the species level. It uses a patented technology to process bacterial samples and extract data derived from the gene fragments that encode their ribosomal RNA. That data is used to generate RiboPrint patterns, which are genetic fingerprints of individual samples. The system then compares these patterns against others in the database to characterize samples at the subspecies level and identify genus and species.