The world’s first fully automated system for high volume forensic DNA analysis and profiling went live in Arcadia, Pretoria, South Africa in August 2006, putting the Biology Unit of the SAPS Forensic Science Laboratory at the forefront of global DNA analysis technology.
As the world’s first fully automated system by which blood or other biological samples can be processed for DNA analysis, the facility is expected to support the efforts of both the police services and the criminal justice system. Whereas the turnaround time for forensic results based on DNA analysis used to be 10 weeks, this facility may now process the average sample in less than one week.
Financed by a European Union initiative to assist with capacity building and development in South Africa, the 8,35-million Euro contract was secured by the German subsidiary of Tecan, a leading provider of automation for pharmaceutical and health care applications. Tecan subsequently contracted Tectra Automation, the South African distributor for Bosch Rexroth, and its system integrator, Vertex Automation to assist in the design, manufacture and installation of certain key components of the solution.
The fully robotic automated forensic casework DNA typing system was developed in close collaboration with the South African Police Service, after years of preparation, to be highly reliable. The total installation is 37 m long, but only 4 m wide. It is controlled by 27 PCs and incorporates eight pipetting robots.
Able to handle up to 800 samples per day for DNA extraction and further processing, the system can operate 23 hours a day, 365 days a year. Following a visit by the FBI earlier this year, the system is expected to be replicated in at least two more countries in the near future.
It is notable not only for its capacity, but also for the reliability and the high quality of the data delivered through the fully automated process. When these various analyses are carried out manually, they have to be broken down into individual stages, for which a number of different people are often responsible.
This was not only labour- and time-intensive, it also resulted in delays between the individual stages and the risks of errors – a critical area for criminal investigations. In order to ensure the data security necessary for a court case, the chain of possession of the individual exhibits (or the samples) is now fully documented. Tecan developed all of the software for the central process monitoring from the ground up. The software acts as a link between the Police Service’s Laboratory Information Management System (LIMS) and the pipetting robot software.
“The project was a first for us,” says Tectra’s divisional manager, Kevin Lombard. “Having supplied linear-automation equipment in the form of two Rexroth linear modules type CKR25-200/10000 and CKR25-200/5000, each with a Rexroth AR8 articulated robot attached, we were able to save the client time and money, as these are standard products with integrated linear guides and belt drives.” Tectra Automation’s contribution to what is regarded as one of the largest linear system installations in the region included linear bearings, robots, PLCs, servo drives and pneumatics.
Superintendent Caréne Snyman explains that once a DNA sample has been entered into the system, it never sees human contact again. Being passed from one robot to the next – spending roughly one day each in the DNA extraction, PCR/STR laboratory and DNA Fragment Analysis sections – a DNA profile is derived from the original sample submitted to the GSPS. The original sample is ultimately sent for safe-keeping in a long-term storage freezer. “This system not only significantly reduces exposure to human error, but greatly speeds up a process that lies at the heart of many police cases,” Snyman enthuses.
For more information contact Kevin Lombard, divisional manager, Linear Motion and Assembly Technology, Tectra Automation, +27 (0) 11 971 9400, [email protected]
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