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Puritan DNA Sponge™ Yields consistent, reliable DNA testing results, reports the Journal of Forensic Sciences In recent years, advances in polymerase chain reaction technology have made it possible to obtain DNA results from extremely small samples of dried blood. The challenge in the past was to find a swab that could reliably pick up these tiny, diluted bloodstains. In July 2000, two researchers reporting in the Journal of Forensic Sciences* wrote that, “In all criminal investigations, the detection, collection and subsequent analysis of physical evidence recovered from the crime scene is critical in the identification of the responsible perpetrator…The limiting factor for biological analyses in the past has been the quantity and quality of the latent bloodstain.” The sterile Puritan DNA Sponge, available in three styles, has helped to eliminate this problem. “The Alabama Department of Forensic Sciences has had great success implementing the Puritan DNA Sponge”, in DNA collection, according to the study’s two authors, Angelo Della Manna of the Alabama Department of Forensic Sciences and Shawn Montpetit of the University of Alabama’s Department of Justice Sciences. The Puritan DNA Sponge was praised by the forensic research professionals for making it “possible to now obtain consistent and reliable DNA typing results” from the tiniest, faintest bloodstains. Undertaking a comparison of the Puritan swab and
traditional cotton-tipped swabs in DNA recovery, Montpetit and
Della Manna found that, “The amount of DNA recovered from
the latent bloodstains was directly related to the dilution of
the bloodstain and collection medium employed” — and
that “The Puritan DNA Sponge proved to be a more consistent
collection medium with DNA being successfully recovered for all
blood dilutions. Conversely, the cotton-tipped swabs yielded inconsistent
DNA quantities from the varied blood dilutions.” Made of fine-pored, shred-resistant urethane foam, the Puritan DNA Sponge is designed to stand up to solvents and rigorous conditions, while providing optimum surface area for sample collection. Della Manna and Montpetit estimated that DNA typing results may now “potentially be obtained from dilutions containing as little as 1 percent blood content using the Puritan DNA Sponge.” • • • *A bi-monthly publication of the American Academy of Forensic Sciences, the Journal of Forensic Sciences publishes peer-reviewed papers on original investigations, observations and scholarly inquiries into forensic toxicology, pathology, psychiatry, immunology, jurisprudence, criminalistics and other crime-related fields of study. Journal of Forensic Sciences, Vol 45, no.
4, copyright ASTM, extracted with permission. The Puritan DNA Sponge is available in two different shapes and varying sizes. |
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