Greenspoon Susan A, Ban Jeffrey D, Sykes Karen, Ballard Elizabeth J, Edler Shelley S, Baisden Melissa, Covington Brian L
Virginia Division of Forensic Science, Richmond, VA 23219, USA.
J Forensic Sci. 2004 Jan;49(1):29-39.
Robotic systems are commonly utilized for the extraction of database samples. However, the application of robotic extraction to forensic casework samples is a more daunting task. Such a system must be versatile enough to accommodate a wide range of samples that may contain greatly varying amounts of DNA, but it must also pose no more risk of contamination than the manual DNA extraction methods. This study demonstrates that the BioMek 2000 Laboratory Automation Workstation, used in combination with the DNA IQ System, is versatile enough to accommodate the wide range of samples typically encountered by a crime laboratory. The use of a silica coated paramagnetic resin, as with the DNA IQ System, facilitates the adaptation of an open well, hands off, robotic system to the extraction of casework samples since no filtration or centrifugation steps are needed. Moreover, the DNA remains tightly coupled to the silica coated paramagnetic resin for the entire process until the elution step. A short pre-extraction incubation step is necessary prior to loading samples onto the robot and it is at this step that most modifications are made to accommodate the different sample types and substrates commonly encountered with forensic evidentiary samples. Sexual assault (mixed stain) samples, cigarette butts, blood stains, buccal swabs, and various tissue samples were successfully extracted with the BioMek 2000 Laboratory Automation Workstation and the DNA IQ System, with no evidence of contamination throughout the extensive validation studies reported here.
机器人系统通常用于提取数据库样本。然而，将机器人提取技术应用于法医案件样本则是一项更为艰巨的任务。这样的系统必须具备足够的通用性，以适应各种可能含有数量差异极大的DNA的样本，但它所带来的污染风险也不能高于手动DNA提取方法。本研究表明，与DNA IQ系统结合使用的BioMek 2000实验室自动化工作站具有足够的通用性，能够适应犯罪实验室通常遇到的各种样本。与DNA IQ系统一样，使用硅胶包被的顺磁性树脂有助于使开放式孔板、无需人工干预的机器人系统适用于案件样本的提取，因为无需过滤或离心步骤。此外，在洗脱步骤之前的整个过程中，DNA都紧密结合在硅胶包被的顺磁性树脂上。在将样本加载到机器人上之前，需要进行一个简短的提取前孵育步骤，正是在这个步骤中进行了大多数修改，以适应法医证据样本中常见的不同样本类型和底物。使用BioMek 2000实验室自动化工作站和DNA IQ系统成功提取了性侵犯（混合污渍）样本、烟头、血迹、口腔拭子和各种组织样本，在此处报告的广泛验证研究中未发现污染迹象。
