Investigator Casework GO! Kit

The Investigator Casework GO! Kit can be used to perform lysis of forensic samples on a variety of substrates, including sexual assault swabs, pieces of fabric, paper, cigarette butts, chewing gum and other sample types. The generated lysates are compatible with all Investigator Quantiplex and Investigator STR QS Systems.

The Investigator Casework GO! Kit is used for the pretreatment of forensic samples in a direct amplification workflow. The kit permits sample lysis without DNA purification and the lysate is compatible with several downstream options, including the Investigator Quantiplex Pro and Quantiplex Pro RGQ or the Investigator 24plex QS, ESSplex SE QS or IDplex Plus Kits.

The Investigator Casework GO! Kit can be used for direct amplification of casework samples and thus enables an accelerated workflow in casework analysis. It allows the rapid processing of swabs from casework samples, including cuttings of sexual assault swabs, or other materials, without the need for further purification. The lysate can be used directly for quantification with all Investigator Quantiplex assays or for DNA profiling using all Investigator STR assays (unless data from the quantification indicates presence of possible PCR inhibitors).

In sexual assault screening analyses, the Investigator Casework GO! workflow can facilitate sample processing decisions by male-quantification and Auto/Y ratio.

Add 100–400µl of Casework GO! Master Mix to the sample in a tube and incubate at 60°C for 25 minutes followed by an additional 5 minutes at 80°C. Quantify 2–5 µl of this lysate using the Quantiplex Pro kit and use up to 15µl of the lysate for amplification using the Investigator STR QS Kit.

Casework Samples

Many high-volume crime samples (e.g., from burglaries or vehicle-related crimes) go untested because there is no funding or time available for sample prep. With Investigator Casework GO! Kit, one can remove the sample prep step which makes the generation of DNA profiles faster and cheaper and could make DNA testing more viable for a greater number of high-volume crime samples. Valuable workflow information, such as the presence/absence of male/total human DNA, sample degradation or the presence of potential PCR inhibitors, can be obtained when the Investigator Casework GO! Kit is used with the Quantiplex Pro Kits or Investigator STR QS Kits.

Sexual Assault Evidence/Y-screening

Many sexual assault cases lie in storage for months or even years because the effort and complexity of recovering PCR-ready DNA is too great. The use of a “Direct to DNA” approach, in line with the latest SWGDAM recommendations, maximizes the chances that only samples worth processing fully are pursued further. The Investigator Casework GO! Quantiplex Pro-workflow determines the male/female DNA ratio and predicts PCR inhibition as well as sample degradation. It thus provides a rapid Y-screening and quality assessment for selection of evidentiary samples for further STR testing.