PCR AMPLIFICATION OF STR LOCI USING AN INFRARED LASER SOURCE

In order to effectively reduce the analysis time required for conventional processing of forensic biological samples, the most time-consuming analysis step, PCR amplification, must be expedited. The transition from conventional to microfluidic PCR amplification allows for substantial (5-fold) time reduction. This work demonstrates the first use of an IR laser source for IR-mediated heating combined with non-contact temperature sensing for PCR amplification of STR loci for forensic DNA analysis on a microdevice. A conventional 3h 30 min amplification time is reduced to as little as 36 min in the microfluidic regime without sacrificing quality standards set by the forensic community.