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Thermo Fisher Scientific to Support Forensic DNA Day 2014 on Capitol Hill

Thermo Fisher Scientific
28 Apr 2014
Sarah Thomas
Associate Editor

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In support of National DNA Day, Thermo Fisher Scientific will showcase its market-leading forensic technology for members of Congress as part of Forensic DNA Day, an awareness campaign hosted on Capitol Hill by the Rape, Abuse, Incest National Network (RAINN) and the National Center for Victims of Crime (NCVC) from 1-3 p.m. on April 29 in the Rayburn House Office Building.

Debbie Smith, after whom a law was named in 2004 to provide grants that fund analysis of backlogged DNA samples and evidence, will share her personal story and impress upon lawmakers the importance for continued support of federal grants that help lead to arrests and reduce the backlog. DNA evidence was key in identifying and convicting Smith’s rapist six years after the assault. The Debbie Smith DNA Backlog Elimination Act is up for congressional reauthorization this year.
Activist Elizabeth Smart, who was abducted as a teenager from her bedroom in 2002 and rescued nine months later, will also address lawmakers in support of the Debbie Smith DNA Backlog Elimination Act to stress the need for funding of this vitally important public safety tool.

“For more than 25 years, we have remained the trusted industry partner since introducing the capillary electrophoresis DNA sequencing instrument, which to this day is still the workhorse platform for the forensic community,” said Nadia Altomare, vice president and general manager, Human Identification, for Thermo Fisher Scientific. “We are committed to empowering our customers through innovative technologies and to help educate our nation’s policy makers about the sophisticated tools that help solve crimes.”

Thermo Fisher’s Life Technologies-branded innovations have enabled scientists to maximize their use of DNA to establish identity and solve crimes. Today, the company offers the most robust, reliable and trusted forensic solutions for human identification (HID) testing under the Applied Biosystems name—and it is the only company that designs and validates its reagents, instruments, and data analysis software together as an integrated system for HID testing.

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DNA / RNA Extraction and PurificationPurified DNA and RNA are required for numerous downstream molecular biology applications. Consequently, the importance of high-quality DNA/RNA extraction and purification equipment cannot be underestimated. Many purification kits are available and are typically optimized for nucleic acid type and source, including plasmid DNA, genomic DNA, mRNA, RNA and viral nucleic acid purification kits. Automated extraction and purification of nucleic acids can be implemented with magnetic bead separator instruments or high-throughput purification workstations. Find the best DNA/RNA extraction and purification equipment in our peer-reviewed product directory: compare products, check customer reviews and receive pricing direct from manufacturers.DNA SequencingDNA sequencing, such as sanger sequencing, is a biological technique that determines the precise order of nucleotide bases in a fragment or template of DNA. DNA sequencers and genetic analyzers are based on capillary electrophoresis, where labeled DNA fragments are electrophoretically separated by size as they migrate through a polymer. Find the best DNA sequencing products, including DNA sequencing kits, genomic libraries and genetic identity kits in our peer-reviewed product directory: compare products, check customer reviews and receive pricing direct from manufacturers.Evidence Collection and AnalysisEvidence Collection and Analysis is the retrieval and subsequent investigation into criminal evidence obtained from a crime scene. Forensic genetic instruments, kits and reagents enable the analysis of evidence collected  at the crime scene. Reagents and kits for presumptive analysis for body fluids such as blood, saliva and semen in addition to drugs and narcotics test kits are used for CSI. Fingerprinting equipment, forensic light sources, casting kits and equipment for collecting recoverable materials can be found in the directory.Forensic InvestigationForensic investigation is a diverse collection of scientific techniques and methods for the identification and characterization of chemicals relating to crime scene investigations.

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