Genetics New DNA tech to help find suspect within minutes

Tuesday, June 21st, 2011
Forensics experts have developed a new DNA technology that would enable detectives to nab a criminal within minutes of committing a crime .
The portable, high-speed equipment uses specially developed rapid profiling techniques to identify DNA from blood or tissue samples at the scene of a crime in a matter of minutes.
It is a major improvisation over the current technology, which involves DNA samples being carefully lifted from the crime scene and transferredto a laboratory.
The National DNA Database may take several days to match a sample with a suspect, which gives enough time for him for a getaway.
The developers of the speeded-up technique LGC Forensics said it wouldgive detectives a vital head start in their hunt for criminals.
“Within 60 minutes of taking a sample it can produce a profile whichcan be transmitted to the DNA database and come back with a match,” the Daily Mail quoted Company managing director Dr SteveAllen as telling the Daily Telegraph.
“It would be an intelligence tool thatcould allow police to identify and catch burglars, for example, while they still have stolen goods on their possession,” he added.
The new technique basically ”bypasses” a number of DNA steps to make the process quicker and cheaper.
Once the suspect has been caught, the traditional forensic techniques could be followed as part of the evidence gathering for the case to goto the court.
“The benefits of this new technology lie not only in detecting the guilty swiftly but also in eliminating the innocent from police inquiries,” a spokesman for the National Policing Improvement Agency explained.

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