Casework

Overview

Solutions for even your most challenging samples

Casework samples – whether from sexual assault cases, kinship testing, disaster victim ID or other scenarios – are difficult to work with. They often contain highly degraded DNA, high inhibitor contents or mixed DNA from multiple individuals. To help forensic labs overcome these challenges, we've developed dedicated products and protocols, including robust instrumentation for sample preparation and a complete analytical assay portfolio, that are optimized for compromised DNA. In addition, QIAGEN scientists and technical support specialists are ready to help you prepare for even the most sensitive and challenging applications.

Sample collection
Instruments
- UniCore Puncher
- STAR Q Punch AS Instrument
Consumables
And more
Pretreatment
Instruments
- Tissue Lyser II
Kits
- Investigator Lyse&Spin Basket Kit
- Investigator Casework GO! Kit
Sample preparation
Instruments
Kits
And more
Assay setup
Instruments
Methylation analysis
- PyroMark Q48 Autoprep System
Quantification
Instruments
- Rotor-Gene Q
Kits
- Investigator Quantiplex Pro RGQ Kit
- Investigator Quantiplex Pro Kit
STR analysis
Human autosomal STR kits
Supplementary human autosomal STR kits
Human gonosomal STR kits
- Investigator Argus Y-28 QS Kit
- Investigator Argus X-12 QS Kit
Human bi-allelic marker kits
- Investigator DIPlex Kit
NGS analysis
Instruments
- MiSeq FGx
NGS for routine cases & databasing
- ForenSeq MainstAY Kit
NGS for complex cases
NGS library prep
NGS analysis software
- Verogen ForenSeq Universal Analysis Software
- CLC Genomics Workbench

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How can we help support your casework?

Get in touch with our experts to find out how we can help streamline your workflow for challenging samples.

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Tailored solutions for challenging applications

Sexual assault samples

Enabling justice and closure

Sexual assault victims often do not get necessary closure due to a lack of informative and conclusive results from challenging DNA evidence. Learn how QIAGEN is partnering with forensic scientists worldwide and enabling justice by streamlining sexual assault sample analysis.

Learn More

Missing persons

Sad woman standing next to missing person poster

Helping families find closure

Missing persons projects require specialized technology for both the recovery of DNA from compromised samples and the analysis of degraded DNA. QIAGEN has a long history of involvement in these projects and offers a wide array of technology that is particularly suited to provide reliable support to workers in the field and in the laboratory.

A new NGS workflow allows identification of missing persons

More than 900 victims of the 2004 Thailand tsunami have been identified through the work of the International Commission on Missing Persons (ICMP). Among them are Linda, her father and her daughter Mira – finally giving Linda’s mother Ingrid Gunmundsson the closure she was looking for.

An NGS approach bringing closure to families
Supported by QIAGEN with expertise and equipment since 2001, the ICMP has built a state-of-the-art DNA laboratory system for the sole purpose of identifying missing persons. Dr. Thomas Parsons leads the technical processes.
READ THE STORY
An MPSplex assay for missing persons identification
Felix Bittner, DNA Analyst at the International Commission on Missing Persons (ICMP) discusses his work developing a large massively parallel sequencing SNP panel (MPSplex assay) for missing persons identification. Learn more in this blog post.
READ HIS BLOG
An MPS panel for missing persons identification
In this webinar, Thomas J. Parsons, Director of Science & Technology at the ICMP, describes working with QIAGEN and academic colleagues to design a MPS assay (MPSplex), targeting over 1200 SNP loci.
WATCH THE WEBINAR

Building a large-scale missing persons ID panel

In this webinar, learn about a SNP-based forensic identification panel using MPS. The panel was specifically designed for identifying missing persons, where DNA is highly degraded and relationship testing must rely on deficient pedigrees.

WATCH THE WEBINAR

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Ready to design your own NGS panel for a human ID application?

Use our custom builder to design a sequencing panel targeting your regions of interest in just a few clicks.

BUILD A PANEL

Age estimation and tissue ID

DNA methylation – leading into the future of forensic casework analysis

Recent research efforts have led to the development of new assays for tissue ID and age estimation based on DNA methylation. Discover our PyroMark Q48 series of tools for examining DNA methylation status using Pyrosequencing technology.

EXPLORE PYROSEQUENCING

A complete workflow for Pyrosequencing in human ID

Pyrosequencing can provide additional intelligence for your criminal investigations, such as age determination of the suspect or tissue ID of the crime stain. Learn how our full Sample to Insight workflow for DNA profiling with Pyrosequencing delivers greater knowledge from forensic samples to inform investigations and create new leads.

Want a workflow to match your forensic needs?

Our easy online tool can help build an HID workflow with only a few clicks.

Try it now

Get more insights

Identifying unknown non-human DNA samples
In this Investigator blog, discover how Mirna Ghemrawi, a doctoral student at Florida International University, uses Pyrosequencing-based methylation analysis in species identification.
Read Her Story
Studying chronological aging with DNA methylation analysis
In this Investigator blog, learn how Jan Fleckhaus, Ph.D. student at the Institute of Legal Medicine, Cologne, Germany, optimizes Pyrosequencing technology for routine forensic work and DNA methylation-based age prediction.
READ HIS BLOG
Determining sample age and origin using methylation
In this QIAGEN sponsored webinar, our guest speakers from the San Francisco Police Department (SFPD) Crime Lab and Florida International University (FIU) discuss their research on DNA methylation in body fluid identification and age estimation from DNA left at crime scenes.
WATCH THE WEBINAR

Anthropology

Achieve success with bone samples

Anthropology researchers are faced with the challenge of purifying DNA from bones and teeth and creating profiles of potentially degraded DNA. We understand your specialized needs and have developed optimized tools to handle these unique sample materials, including the EZ1 Advanced XL Instrument. EZ1 has dedicated protocols for the purification of DNA from bulk samples of ground bones and teeth. Plus, we offer pre- and post-PCR cleanup kits to maximize the potential of a sample, as well as specialized DNA profiling kits, such as the Investigator 24plex QS Kit and DIPplex Kit, for degraded DNA samples.

DISCOVER THE EZ1

EZ1 solves Bronze Age mystery
Discover how DNA from 3000-year-old bones was successfully purified using the EZ1 instrument. This purified ancient DNA was suitable for PCR amplification and STR analysis. Genotyping identified familial relationships within the samples, suggesting that the Bronze Age cave where the bones were discovered was a family burial site.
READ APPLICATION NOTE
EZ1 is your solution to challenging bone samples
Discover how to speed up and improve the DNA yield from bone. Using the EZ1 Advanced XL Instrument, you can reduce the lysis time from the traditional 24 hours to a more efficient 2-hour treatment. Go from sample processing to results within the same working day with this rapid bone protocol.
READ APPLICATION NOTE

Featured products
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focus on NGS

QIAseq Investigator Panels
Dedicated QIAseq panels for human identity investigations
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GeneRead Size Selection Kit
For quick and reliable removal of DNA fragments <150 bp for library preparation in NGS applications
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QIAseq Library Quant System
For qPCR-enabled quantification of NGS libraries
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QIAseq and GeneRead Library Prep Kits
For fast and efficient preparation of DNA libraries for use in NGS applications
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