Collection of amino acids and DNA from fingerprints using hydrogels
W. Van Helmond (Universiteit van Amsterdam, Nederlands Forensisch Instituut (NFI))
Vincent O'Brien (TU Delft - ChemE/Advanced Soft Matter)
R. de Jong (Nederlands Forensisch Instituut (NFI), Digital Technology and Biometrics)
Jan van Esch (TU Delft - ChemE/Advanced Soft Matter)
Sander Oldenhof (Nederlands Forensisch Instituut (NFI), TU Delft - ChemE/Advanced Soft Matter)
M. De Puit (Nederlands Forensisch Instituut (NFI), TU Delft - OLD ChemE/Organic Materials and Interfaces)
More Info
expand_more
Other than for strictly personal use, it is not permitted to download, forward or distribute the text or part of it, without the consent of the author(s) and/or copyright holder(s), unless the work is under an open content license such as Creative Commons.
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.
help_outline