DNA testing time frames - what is the fastest possible time to get results?

liljim

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in the recent charlie hebdo shootings i remember reading that they recovered some sort of DNA, i believe it was from one of the vehicles used, and within a few days they had results that confirmed it came from one of the suspects. i dont know what type of sample it was or any other details though...

if money and facilities were of no concern, lets say it is a matter of national security, and a DNA sample arrives at the lab (lets say there is no processing/separation needed etc its a vial of blood or a complete body part or something, whatever makes it easiest) - what is the fastest possible turn around time?

ok now lets say that it is just a typical murder case/crime, typical amount of time needed to process the crime scene, get the results to the lab, lab has typical workload nothing extreme - what would be the average amount of time you would expect results to take?

is it commonplace for LE to say they are still waiting for results to come back when in fact they already have them but do not want the public to know it? or would that be rare, and they would just say that they have the results but are not releasing or discussing them?

thanx for any replies, hoping to get someone with some first hand knowledge in here! if there is a thread with this information already thanx for directing me to it!
 
nothin' eh?

anyone have any idea who could answer this? (a member here hopefully)
 
Well, I've just been reading about dna rape test kits in Orange County, CA, where three quarters have never been tested at all and there's a backlog.....

http://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/l...Kits-in-Orange-County-Untested-292187931.html

This is just my opinion, but I'd say it's relatively rare that cost is not a factor and delays are often the norm. I don't really know of any cases where police have results and pretend they don't - only disastrous, accidental cases where results have been missed because they weren't put into files or databases.

...If you are talking about how long it physically takes, anywhere, if money/necessity is not an object?

I don't know. But I think some of the most expert and kindest, most helpful scientists to ask would be the team in the Netherlands who did/are doing such amazing work in identifying the victims of the passenger plane shot down in Ukraine. I shall try to find a way of finding out from them.
 
Just an example .. here's a place in Illinois that does 24 hour service:

http://www.acgtinc.com/rush_dna_sequencing.htm

PCR is quicker than RFLP.
From:
http://www.scientific.org/tutorials/articles/riley/riley.html

PCR is less direct and somewhat more prone to error than RFLP. However, PCR has tended to replace RFLP in forensic testing primarily because PCR based tests are faster and more sensitive.
<bbm>

This site says DNA paternity testing can take 3 to 4 days:

http://www.geneticprofiles.com/main_files/faq.htm

Most online info indicates it depends on backlogs / caseload, but apparently there is a rush process available, and I would imagine this could be utilized in extremely urgent situations:

from:
http://intrensic.blogspot.ca/2009/06/why-does-dna-testing-take-so-long.html

Research is underway (and quite far along, actually) for the development of a system that will process DNA samples in 4 hours. However, this system is not for tricky DNA samples. It will only be applicable to very simple run-of-the-mill DNA (like heavy blood stains).
 

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