Internal validation of RapidHITTM 200 – a system for automated human identification using DNA analysis

Abstract

RapidHITTM 200 by IntegenX® (Thermo Fisher Scientific) is an integrated system for fast human identification based on STR analysis, providing a number of advantages over traditional DNA profiling methods in terms of automation, speed of analysis and mobility. However, before rapid DNA technology could be implemented into routine forensic applications, both workflow and its results would have to be rigorously validated for reliability, performance and compatibility with data obtained from capillary electrophoresis, through an internal validation. As we were primarily interested in the RapidHITTM 200’s ability to efficiently generate DNA profiles from samples collected at crime scenes and to upload this data to the CODIS database (Combined DNA Index System), the evaluation study focused mainly on such samples. The results show that RapidHITTM 200 can be a useful tool to complement conventional identification methods used in forensic genetics.