QIAGEN Partners with Hamilton Robotics to Deliver High-throughput Solutions for DNA Fingerprinting

QIAGEN N.V. today announced the launch of automated high-throughput solutions, developed in partnership with Hamilton Robotics, to serve the growing need for DNA fingerprinting of samples for human identity databases. The streamlined automated workflows enable high-throughput assay setup for analyzing large numbers of reference samples collected for law enforcement databases.

“QIAGEN is pleased to partner with Hamilton to launch complete, efficient solutions for human identity workflows, especially to help increase capacity and relieve backlogs in law enforcement database laboratories. This substantially broadens our presence in forensics and human ID,” said Dr. Thomas Schnibbe, Senior Director and Head of QIAGEN's global forensics franchise. “Our Investigator^® STR GO! Kits for amplification of short tandem repeats (STRs) already provide fast, convenient processing of samples. The workflow developed with Hamilton includes QIAGEN’s new STAR Q instrument line for efficient pre-treatment and assay setup, coupling robust chemistry with a streamlined process to deliver speed, low unit cost and high quality. Furthermore, the solution features QIAGEN’s new Quality Sensor, a novel internal performance control perfecting quality monitoring in highly automated processes.”

National databases have become powerful tools for investigators to solve crimes by matching DNA from crime scenes or suspects, and recent legislative changes provide for DNA collection from more individuals entering the criminal justice system to populate these datasets. About 30 European countries, a similar number of U.S. states, and several Asia-Pacific countries now take swabs or other samples upon arrest or charging of suspects. As legislation changes and sample submissions increase, many laboratories are facing backlogs in processing DNA samples for databases, so the need for automated handling in labs is growing.

The solutions from QIAGEN and Hamilton address this challenge by expanding throughput while maintaining success rates and quality standards. The workflows enable labs to receive DNA samples from police (typically in buccal swabs or treated collection paper such as FTA cards), process them rapidly for analysis, and upload the digitized information to databases. At the front end, pre-treatment and assay setup for QIAGEN’s Investigator GO! assays are simplified by pre-installed and pre-validated protocols on the STAR Q Punch AS Instrument (for paper based samples) and STAR Q Swab AS (for buccal swabs).

“Partnering on a non-exclusive basis with QIAGEN enhances the power and capabilities of Hamilton’s solutions to help forensic scientists cope with ever-increasing demands for higher throughput, quality and traceability,” said Dr. Jörg Pochert, VP of Hamilton Robotics. “Collaborating with leading laboratories, we have greatly simplified DNA fingerprinting of known individuals for databases. Together, QIAGEN and Hamilton technologies will now help labs address DNA database challenges with a new generation of solutions.”