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Boston University researchers announced today that the Journal of Forensic Identification published their research in the September, 2014 edition.  JFI is a major, peer-reviewed journal and the Boston University research is the first to be published in such a journal.  As a new tool in the forensic DNA collection market, the M-Vac System clears a significant hurdle by being highlighted in a major study that is then published in a prestigious journal.

In the study, researchers compared the M-Vac System to swabbing and taping on a variety of substrates.  The M-Vac System proved to be an important option, especially in collecting DNA material from porous and rough substrates like denim and carpet.  The following is taken from the abstract of the publication:

Abstract:

Traditional biological collection methods are compared to a wet-vacuum system through the collection of different volumes of blood on tile, denim, and carpet. The wet-vacuum technique was able to recover sufficient amounts of blood for Kastle-Meyer presumptive testing. Although it was possible to detect blood after wet-vacuum collection, swabbing resulted in the highest rate of positive results for the presumptive test.
The DNA yields and detection limits that were obtained when collecting from tile were similar between methods, suggesting they are equivalent in their ability to collect DNA from nonporous surfaces. When the techniques were tested on mock case surfaces, wet-vacuum collection resulted in higher DNA yields than either the double swab or taping methods. However, STR profiles that were obtained from these mock surfaces exhibited extraneous alleles at many loci, suggesting that these higher yields were the result of collecting DNA already present on the substrate.
The wet-vacuum collection efficacy was further tested by examining yields that were obtained when semen and blood were collected from tile, denim, carpet, and brick. Results show that the technique was successful in collecting DNA from all surfaces, although the yield from brick varied widely and was low compared to the other substrates. Of the 16 low-volume samples collected from brick, 8 resulted in no detectable DNA.

Conclusion
The wet-vacuum collection technique is a potentially useful tool in forensic casework environments. Data indicate this technique may be most valuable for collection of low-level biological evidence in low-traffic areas.

A full copy of the article can be downloaded from the M-Vac System website by clicking here.

Just last year, a cold case almost two decades old in Midway, Utah, was finally solved using cutting edge wet vacuum DNA collection technology called the M-Vac System. The DNA evidence was found on the murder weapon, a rock that had been sitting in an evidence room for the past 18 years. Krystal Lynn Beslanowitch was found bludgeoned to death with the rock in question, which was still near her body. However, the evidence found at the scene was not enough to tell Krystal’s story. Fortunately, in the world of forensic science, technology is always moving forward, offering newer and more effective ways to catch criminals. Through an innovative process, Krystal’s case would eventually be closed.

Originally designed to collect pathogenic bacteria off of food surfaces, bio warfare agents from the battlefield and viruses from critical areas in hospitals, the M-Vac wet vacuum system is amazingly adept at collecting DNA material, even from porous surfaces such as a river rock, a hoodie sweatshirt or from a victim’s skin. This system is the most effective method available for collecting DNA, and is known to be effective even after other collection methods have failed to collect sufficient DNA for analysis.

The wet vacuum method works through the combination of a sterile spray impinging the substrate surface and vacuum pressure being applied simultaneously. This allows investigators to pick up much more of a sample than through the swabbing or taping method. The samples can then be spun in a conical vial or filtered through an inexpensive filtering method. The results have been validated by a private lab in Utah, which found that the M-Vac collected 40 percent more DNA from a saliva stain on polyester and 88 percent more from a bloodstain on nylon fabric than swabbing. In fact, when sampling the material AFTER the swab in a separate product verification, the M-Vac still pulled up 22 times more than the swab did.

So far, the wet vacuum system has been used in several very difficult cases that had either stalled or gone completely cold and the investigators were running out of options.  In one of the first cases, a little girl had been murdered and possibly raped, and then her body had been discarded in a body of water where she lay for 8-10 hours.  During that time, as every investigator knows, the DNA evidence on her and her clothing was washing away and degrading at a rapid rate.  Not surprisingly, by the time she was pulled from the water and her clothing was swabbed, no suspect DNA could be detected, even with the most sensitive lab equipment and processes. 

Fortunately, the forensics lab had an M-Vac System available and they were able to resample the victim’s underwear.  Amazingly, the M-Vac was able to collect enough DNA material to generate a partial profile of the suspect and the case was able to move forward.  Additional cases have seen similar results.  Of course, not every case, but the bottom line is if there is DNA material on the evidence, even when it is minute amounts of touch DNA, the M-Vac System is the best tool to collect it.

In the case of Krystal Beslanowitch, the M-Vac wet vacuum method was able to provide critical DNA collections to close the case. Eventually this evidence led to an arrest and closure for the family.

No doubt this new method would add a compelling element to any true crime fiction story, particularly those surrounding cold cases or seemingly “clean” crime scenes. For more in-depth details on the forensics, including a video showing the DNA collection, visit http://www.m-vac.com/forensics.

Jared Bradley is the President and CEO of M-Vac Systems, based in Sandy, Utah.