SARASOTA, Fla. -- DNAPrint genomics announces that it has entered into a distributorship agreement with ReliaGene Technologies Inc. The agreement enables ReliaGene to distribute DNAPrint's flagship product, DNAWitness 2.5, to its extensive international client base of law enforcement agencies.
The agreement is expected to significantly expand DNAPrint's footprint in
the forensics industry by providing access to a host of additional criminal
investigation cases. Any case where no suspect has been identified will be
eligible for DNAWitness 2.5, a ground-breaking genetic test which
represents the first-ever DNA-based tool for the inference of physical
characteristics from evidence samples.
Through a molecular genetic appreciation of genetic ancestry, DNAWitness 2.5 provides physical information about suspects, victims and unidentified human remains, thereby
furnishing invaluable assistance and direction to investigations. ReliaGene
is a leading DNA laboratory and research facility with accreditation from the
American Society of Crime Lab Directors (ASCLD), National Forensic Science
Technology Center (NFSTC), Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments (CLIA),
American Association of Blood Banks (AABB), and ISO/IEC 5. ReliaGene
regularly serves law enforcement agencies across the country and around the
world, and has successfully analyzed over 400,000 biological samples.
"DNAWitness is a presumptive test that will enable investigators,
prosecutors, medical examiners, forensic scientists and crime laboratories all
over the world establish a 'fuzzy photograph' of the DNA donor," said Richard
Gabriel, CEO and president of DNAPrint genomics, Inc. "The single largest
stumbling block to usage of this product on a much broader basis by the
forensic community has been the lack of understanding as to how the product
works within the current system of evidence control. We now have made
arrangements with ReliaGene that ensures that our presumptive test can be used
effectively in the early stages of the investigation in addition to when the
trail grows cold over time. ReliaGene's role is to control the evidence
samples according to ASCLD standards, which it currently does for all its
forensic clients, and perform standard DNA profiling when necessary. Select
samples will be sent to DNAPrint, which will report the DNAWitness results
back, and the outcome of our combined efforts will be a reduction in unsolved
cases as well as the reactivation of many cold cases." He added, "We estimate
that about 30 percent of criminal cases have no suspect (including CODIS suspectless
cases) and all of the unidentified human remains stored in crime labs and
medical examiner offices across the country are also excellent candidates for
DNAWitness."
Dr. Sudhir Sinha, president of ReliaGene, stated, "We are very pleased and
excited to have this unique opportunity to work with DNAPrint and accelerate
the use of DNAWitness in the forensics market. ReliaGene has always
prided itself on providing the utmost in cutting-edge forensic DNA
capabilities. Now, through this partnership, we can offer unprecedented
access to this revolutionary investigative tool, which has already assisted in
the Louisiana Serial Killer Case, the Concord California Case, the Susannah
Chase investigation and a number of other high-profile cases. There is no
question that DNAWitness can greatly benefit our numerous customers in the
forensic community. It will help them focus investigations in the crucial
early stages, producing substantial time and cost-savings, and can assist in
identification of human remains. It also bridges the gap for the countless
no-suspect cases without a match on the national DNA database -- cases that
might otherwise be shelved as dead-ends. We will focus our efforts on
encouraging existing clients to take advantage of DNAWitness, and we
intend to secure future contracts by emphasizing this enhanced capability.
DNAPrint is capable of processing over 500 samples per day using
DNAWitness, and there is no reason not to fully utilize this capability
through this partnership," he concluded.
"There are over 70,000 DNA profiles from cases that are unsolved in the
national U.S. DNA database. Almost all of them are good candidates for
DNAWitness," said Zach Gaskin, technical director of forensics at DNAPrint.
"The DNA for those cases is sitting in freezers in crime labs across the
country. We should get a portion of those as well as samples from future
cases through this agreement with ReliaGene. We are working with ReliaGene to
host seminars on the use of DNAWitness in the investigation process as
well as workshops on how to write grants for federal funds available to local
and state agencies for crime investigation," said Gaskin. "I would like to
see more investigators using DNAWitness proactively in the early stages of
an investigation when the trail is still hot, rather than waiting for the
possibility that the person who left the DNA at the crime scene is one of the
1.6 million individuals in the national database known as CODIS. Most
government crime labs have serious case backlogs, which do not allow them the
luxury of processing cases without a suspect in custody. Many of these no-
suspect cases are being sent to ReliaGene, and it seems to be a natural bundle
with DNAWitness."
Founded in and based in the New Orleans metro area, ReliaGene
Technologies Inc. is a leading DNA laboratory facility specializing in human
genetic identification and related bio-tech product development. With
cutting-edge capabilities for forensic and paternity DNA testing, ReliaGene
has now successfully detected human genetic profiles from over 400,000
biological samples, including cases from all 50 U.S. states and over 35
countries worldwide.
DNAPrint genomics Inc. uses proprietary human genome research methods to
develop genomic-based services and products. The company introduced DNAWitness in the forensic
market in .
Source: DNAPrint genomics, Inc.
