Life
Technologies today announced it has signed an agreement giving IntegenX
Inc. the rights to distribute Life’s GlobalFiler
Express chemistry on IntegenX’s RapidHIT™ platform.
Recent recommendations from the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s
Combined DNA Index System (CODIS) called for an expanded set of genetic
markers to maximize international DNA database compatibility. The
combination of RapidHIT and GlobalFiler is the first Rapid DNA
Technology to fulfill this recommendation.
Rapid DNA Technology enables samples to be analyzed in less than two
hours, as opposed to two to three weeks. Such a dramatic reduction in
sample-to-answer time has major ramifications for law enforcement, war
crimes investigations and immigration. The innovative design of the
GlobalFiler Express chemistry includes 24 markers to deliver up to nine
times the informative power of existing commercial kits.
“As global forensic DNA databases rapidly expand, so does the need for
more discriminating short tandem repeat (STR) multiplexes that can
maximize loci overlap,” said Robert Schueren, President and Chief
Executive Officer of IntegenX. “That’s why we’ve partnered with
Life Technologies to integrate GlobalFiler Express kits into the
RapidHIT cartridges.”
The GlobalFiler Express chemistry contains all the genetic markers
recommended for inclusion by the CODIS Core Loci Working Group,
including 10 additional markers commonly used in Europe to reduce the
risk of chance matches while enabling more effective data sharing among
countries.
The product features a proprietary six-dye chemistry designed for
maximum database compatibility and enables samples to be processed five
times faster than other solutions on the market. It also facilitates
quicker amplification of challenging samples, such as degraded human
remains.
“One of the great values of GlobalFiler Express is the intelligent
design that looks to the future — enhancing discrimination power while
also offering the best compatibility and concordance with the historical
set of 40 million STR profiles registered in many national DNA databases
around the world,” said Antonio Alonso, Project Manager, IDNADEX,
National Institute of Toxicology and Forensic Sciences, Madrid, Spain.
“The superior quality of the data obtained from GlobalFiler Express kits
has proven to be a transformative solution for forensic labs,” said
Nadia Altomare, vice president and general manager, Human
Identification, for Thermo Fisher Scientific. “Our partnership with
IntegenX brings together the industry’s most powerful chemistry and the
leading rapid platform to help forensic laboratories and law enforcement
agencies solve and prevent crimes.”
For more than 25 years, Thermo Fisher Scientific’s Life Technologies
innovations have enabled scientists to maximize their use of DNA to
establish identity and solve crimes. Today, the company offers the most
robust, reliable, and trusted forensic solutions for human
identification (HID) testing under the Applied Biosystems brand—and it
is the only company that designs and validates its reagents,
instruments, and data analysis software together as an integrated system
for HID testing.
To learn more, please visit www.lifetechnologies.com/globalfiler.
About Thermo Fisher Scientific
Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. (NYSE: TMO) is the world leader in serving
science, with revenues of $17 billion and 50,000 employees in 50
countries. Our mission is to enable our customers to make the world
healthier, cleaner and safer. We help our customers accelerate life
sciences research, solve complex analytical challenges, improve patient
diagnostics and increase laboratory productivity. Our four premier
brands – Thermo Scientific, Life Technologies, Fisher Scientific and
Unity Lab Services – offer an unmatched combination of innovative
technologies, purchasing convenience and comprehensive support. For more
information, please visit www.thermofisher.com.
Copyright Business Wire 2014