Centre of Applied Research Technology

Collection of amino acids and DNA from fingerprints using hydrogels

Article

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.

Reference van Helmond, W., O'Brien, V., de Jong, R., van Esch, J., Oldenhof, S., & de Puit, M. (2018). Collection of amino acids and DNA from fingerprints using hydrogels. ANALYST, 143(4), 900-905. https://doi.org/10.1039/c7an01692a
21 February 2018

Publication date

Feb 2018

Author(s)

Ward van Helmond
Vincent O'Brien
Robin de Jong
Jan van Esch
Sander Oldenhof
Marcel de Puit

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