Estimating Human DNA Concentration in the Presence of Metal Ion Inhibitors: A Comparison of the Quantifiler® Human DNA Quantification Kit and the Investigator® Quantiplex Kit.

Real-time quantitative PCR is the standard method used to quantify Forensic DNA. This study was conducted to determine if the Investigator® Quantiplex Kit provides more accurate estimates of DNA concentration in the presence of metal inhibitors. Single source control DNA and inhibitor solutions of aluminum, calcium, copper, iron, nickel and lead samples were prepared at a concentration range of 0.0025-18.75mM. Metal containing samples were quantified using the Investigator® Quantiplex Kit on the 7500 Real-Time PCR System, amplified with the AmpFLSTR® Identifiler® Plus PCR Amplification Kit, separated and detected on the 3130xl Genetic Analyzer and analyzed with GeneMapper® ID-X version 1.4. More research needs to be conducted in order to determine if the stochastic results of metal containing DNA samples can produce definite trends.