Promega Maxwell® DE System Accelerates Sexual Assault Kit Processing with Automated Protocol
Madison, WI USA. (July 9, 2024)
A new DNA extraction kit will accelerate the processing of backlogged sexual assault kits by enabling labs to automate differential extraction of sperm DNA. The Maxwell DE System, launched today by Promega, is the first automated kit to eliminate the need for purification following cell separation, allowing for direct DNA quantification and STR analysis on non-sperm and sperm fractions with Promega PowerQuant® and PowerPlex® Systems. This reduces hands-on processing time, thereby accelerating sexual assault evidence kit sample processing and reducing backlogs.
“With thousands of backlogged sexual assault kits waiting to be processed, forensic casework analysts need to maximize their lab output while ensuring consistent and reliable results,” says Margaret Ewing, Associate Product Manager at Promega Corporation. “Maxwell DE System automates the most laborious steps required in manual systems, helping the lab significantly cut down the time needed to work through this important evidence.”
Existing methods often involve laborious and time-consuming steps to separate male sperm from non-sperm cells, followed by purification of the sperm and non-sperm DNA. The Maxwell DE System automated protocol reduces the time and labor associated with differential extraction, while enhancing throughput and consistency in results.
Maxwell DE System features include:
- Fast, easy-to-use protocol using benchtop Maxwell instrumentation
- Ability to process multiple samples simultaneously
- Designed for compatibility with PowerQuant® quantification and PowerPlex® STR analysis systems
The Maxwell DE System joins an existing portfolio of DNA extraction chemistry developed by Promega. Promega has been developing and manufacturing products for DNA-based human identification for more than 35 years.
About Promega Corporation
Promega Corporation is a leader in providing innovative solutions and technical support to the life sciences industry. The company’s portfolio of over 4,000 products supports a range of life science work across areas such as cell biology; DNA, RNA and protein analysis; drug development; human identification and molecular diagnostics. These tools and technologies have grown in their application over the last 45 years and are used today by scientists and technicians in labs for academic and government research, forensics, pharmaceuticals, clinical diagnostics and agricultural and environmental testing. Promega is headquartered in Madison, WI, USA with branches in 16 countries and over 50 global distributors.
