Automated Extraction of DNA from Forensic Sample Types Using the PrepFiler Automated Forensic DNA Extraction Kit

The HID EVOlution–Extraction System (Tecan Group Ltd., Mannedorf, Switzerland) was developed to automate DNA extraction from biological samples using the PrepFiler Automated Forensic DNA Extraction Kit (Applied Biosystems, Foster City, CA). The system consists of a Tecan Freedom EVO 150 robot (Tecan Group Ltd., Mannedorf, Switzerland), a graphical user interface designed for use with Freedom EVOware software v 2.1 SP1 (Tecan Group Ltd., Mannedorf, Switerland) as well as instrument hardware and plastic to support the PrepFiler reagents and protocol. The DNA quality and quantity obtained were comparable to that observed with the corresponding manual extraction protocol. Purified DNA was free of inhibitors and ready for downstream applications, such as real-time quantitative PCR and PCR for short tandem repeat (STR) analysis. The DNA quantity and quality obtained were consistent as demonstrated by the quantification and STR results. Our studies indicate that the HID EVOlution–Extraction System can easily be adopted in forensic laboratories to alleviate some of the bottlenecks of sample preparation in forensic laboratories.