Internal validation of the QIAamp DNA Investigator Kit, QIAamp 96 DNA Swab BioRobot Kit and the BioRobot Universal System for DNA extraction from reference and crime scene samples

The quality and quantity of DNA extracted from any forensic sample is of paramount importance for the downstream forensic analyses and ultimately in the resolution of a crime. The extraction procedure can therefore be considered as one of the most critical steps in the molecular manipulations to which evidentiary material is exposed as it is imperative that the integrity and identity of the sample is not jeopardised. The turnover time for laboratory procedures is also of importance for a case so as to meet legal time constraints and ultimately confine perpetrators of crime. To support this endeavour, a combination of forensic genetics armamentaria [i.e., high-throughput platforms for liquid handling and capillary electrophoresis, highly informative and sensitive multiplex human identification systems, laboratory information management systems (LIMS) etc.] cooperatively optimise the workflow and submission of case reports to the justice system within acceptable timeframes to expedite downstream police investigations [ , ]. The present letter summarises the internal validation of the QIAamp DNA Investigator and QIAamp 96 DNA Swab BioRobot Kits for DNA extraction and the BioRobot Universal System an automated liquid handling platform developed by QIAGEN (Hilden, Germany) for forensic applications [ , , ]. The necessary experiments were performed in accordance with validation guidelines, quality assurance standards and manufacturer published methods to demonstrate that these commercially available DNA extraction methods perform as expected when they are implemented in our laboratory to extract DNA from both reference (high yield DNA) and crime scene (low yield DNA) samples [ , , , , ]. The validation parameters assessed in this study included accuracy, repeatability, sensitivity, contamination prevention, sample and data tracking, suitability of methods for sample diversity and a comparison of the manual and automated methodologies with respect to DNA extraction efficiency.