Synergene Profiling Limited, part of the Synergene Biotechnology Group based in Attard, has launched Malta's first forensic DNA laboratory, offering a range of new forensic services not previously available locally.
The new services, including forensic DNA profiling and presumptive testing, will provide local law enforcement and legal entities with an important tool in their efforts to fight crime.
Up to now any evidence material requiring DNA analysis had to be sent to laboratories abroad. This was the case with the Floriana subway rape last June.
The cost of this practice represented a considerable expense to the Maltese courts, particularly since an appointed person had to accompany the samples to their destination.
Synergene's new service will substantially reduce the overall cost and complexity of analysing this evidence, allowing DNA testing to be applied in a larger number of murder, rape and theft cases.
In setting up the new forensic DNA laboratory, Synergene has invested in state-of-the-art equipment and has sent its scientific staff for training at reputable forensic laboratories in Spain.
The company has also been working in close collaboration with a leading forensic laboratory in Holland that is assisting it in developing its technical capabilities. Along with expert advice, the Dutch lab has provided real scene-of-crime samples for testing and validation purposes.
In addition, Synergene is participating in international proficiency tests to assure continual ongoing validation of its capabilities.
As part of its internal research and development programme, Synergene is undertaking the Maltese Human Diversity Project in collaboration with Dr Alex Aquilina, consultant and head of the National Blood Transfusion Centre.
The main aim of the project is to determine the ancestral pattern of the Maltese population, but information derived from the project will also help Synergene compile genetic statistical data on the general Maltese population.
This will allow Synergene to base all statistical calculations, that are essential in the field of forensics, on Maltese population data rather than on the data from the general Western European population used by foreign labs. This will ensure a greater accuracy of results for forensic cases involving Maltese individuals.
New forensic services, being offered by Synergene Profiling Limited, include extraction of DNA from various media, including difficult scene-of-crime samples such as dried blood, cigarette butts, hair and chewing gum.
The extracted DNA can be used to generate a genetic profile that is unique to the person from whom the DNA originated. Consequently a match between the genetic profile from the sample and that of a suspect can prove that the person is the originator of the sample.
Identification of evidence material for DNA profiling will be aided by presumptive testing, another new service to be offered by Synergene. This test can be applied to scene-of-crime objects to locate and identify the nature of body fluid stains, including blood, semen and saliva.
Synergene will also be offering Y-chromosome and mitochondrial DNA testing for forensic purposes. Y-chromosome testing may be used to distinguish the male sample from male/female mixtures and is often employed in sexual assault cases.
Mitochondrial DNA testing is frequently employed in cases where DNA sample concentration is very low or degraded, as is often the case in forensic applications. For these samples and where applicable, mitochondrial DNA sequencing is the preferred methodology, due to a higher success rate.
The company is also extending its established biological relationship verification DNA tests to forensic applications. These include: paternity testing, to assess whether an alleged father is the real biological father; siblingship testing, to confirm whether individuals share one or both parents; grandparentage testing, to confirm the biological relationship between an individual and an alleged grandparent; and avuncular testing, to assess the probability that a person is the biological aunt or uncle of another.
Synergene is to promote its services to local enforcement agencies, including the police and the army, as well as to legal entities, including the public prosecution, defence lawyers and magistrates.
The service will also be marketed to similar organisations internationally, private individuals and organisations such as insurance companies.
More information on the service and other related services are on the Synergene Website www.synergeneprofiling.com.