Issue 4, 2018

Collection of amino acids and DNA from fingerprints using hydrogels

Abstract

The amino acid profile obtained from a fingerprint may provide valuable information on its donor. For forensic scientists, recovering evidence relating to the amino acid profile of a suspect can potentially be valuable for identification and exclusion purposes. Herein we detail the use of cross-linkable solutions of dextran-methacrylate to form hydrogels capable of collecting amino acids from surfaces followed by extraction and quantification with UPLC-MS. This method allows for the amino acid profile analysis of fingerprints while allowing for their increased visualisation at a later stage using the standard method of cyanoacrylation. We will demonstrate this method to also be capable of collecting DNA from fingerprints with a 20–60% yield in comparison to using a conventional cotton swab.

Graphical abstract: Collection of amino acids and DNA from fingerprints using hydrogels

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
13 Oct 2017
Accepted
26 Dec 2017
First published
04 Jan 2018
This article is Open Access
Creative Commons BY-NC license

Analyst, 2018,143, 900-905

Collection of amino acids and DNA from fingerprints using hydrogels

W. van Helmond, V. O'Brien, R. de Jong, J. van Esch, S. Oldenhof and M. de Puit, Analyst, 2018, 143, 900 DOI: 10.1039/C7AN01692A

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