P080 – A Multicentre Collaborative Study Into Factors Impacting Degradation and Loss of Purified DNA Under Different Storage Conditions

11:13

Wednesday August 19^th

Station 16

Duration: 12 minutes

04. Forensic biology

Jim Thomson

Factors impacting the degradation and loss of DNA in stored DNA samples from forensic materials such as storage temperature and length of storage are well established and appropriate mitigation is taken to reduce their impact. However, the variation between laboratories has not been investigated. This collaborative study, organised by the Association of Forensic Science Providers (AFSP) DNA Working group in the UK, involved 7 different organisations conducting a degradation time course experiment in parallel to investigate this.

Two different source DNA samples were used (one standard reference DNA and one sample extracted in-house by each laboratory) at three concentrations. These were stored under 4 different storage conditions and sampled over a 60-day time-period.

DNA quantification results indicated significant variability between laboratories, even when a standard source DNA material was used. One laboratory showed almost no reduction in DNA yields under any conditions over the full time-course, whereas others showed significant, and differing, degrees of loss and degradation across the sample set. Further investigations indicated that two nuisance parameters not fully specified in the experimental design, namely the diluent used to prepare different concentration samples, and the tube type used for storage, were contributing to observed DNA loss.

Based on this observation, it was decided to repeat the study with these two parameters controlled and the overall time-period increased to 12 months.

Here we present the results of the first study and preliminary results from the repeated experiment.

Authors

Jim Thomson (Eurofins Forensic Services, United Kingdom)
David Moore (Eurofins Forensic Services, United Kingdom)
Katherine Bache (Metropolitan Police Service, United Kingdom)
Stephen Clifford (Forensic Science Ireland, Ireland)
Andrew McDonald (Cellmark Forensic Services, United Kingdom)
Teresa McMahon (Forensic Science Northern Ireland, United Kingdom)
Simon Malsom (Key Forensic Services, United Kingdom)
Nighean Stevenson (Scottish Police Authority, United Kingdom)
Emma Westacott (Eurofins Forensic Services, United Kingdom)

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P080 – A Multicentre Collaborative Study Into Factors Impacting Degradation and Loss of Purified DNA Under Different Storage Conditions

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