Workshop Overview
The National Institute of Justice (NIJ), in conjunction with the National Forensic Science Technology Center (NFSTC), is sponsoring a series of workshops designed to help facilitate the transition of novel technologies into practice by operational crime laboratories. These Technology Transition Workshops, which highlight technologies developed under the NIJ’s forensic science research and development programs, are a critical component of NIJ’s research, development, testing, and evaluation (RDT&E) efforts.
The purpose of this Technology Transition Workshop is to provide the student with an introduction to biological mass spectrometry; the Ibis T5000™ and T6000™ platforms, their applications, and assay protocols; an overview of the T5000™ hardware and its maintenance; and the use of the Ibis software for data analysis. Students will also receive instruction on mitochondrial DNA analysis; mitochondrial DNA mixture detection, analysis, and interpretation; statistics of polymorphic STR alleles; and future directions of biological mass spectrometry.
Use of the Ibis T5000™ Mass Spectrometer Platform will be demonstrated, allowing students to take samples that they amplify through analysis and data interpretation using Ibis mtDNA software.
Learning Outcomes
At the completion of the Mass Spectrometry for mtDNA and STR Analysis Using the Ibis Biosciences, Inc. Platform, the participant will acquire the knowledge to:
- Explain the applications of mass spectrometry to biological analyses
- Understand the applications of the Ibis T5000™ and T6000™ platforms
- Explain the basics of mitochondrial DNA analysis
- Describe the Ibis mtDNA assay, including the sensitivity and reproducibility of the analysis
- Discuss the application of mass spectrometry to mtDNA mixture detection, analysis, and interpretation
- Describe the Ibis STR assay, including a comparison to traditional STR analysis
- Discuss the statistics of polymorphic STR alleles, including population and statistical implications of expanded allele definitions
- Explain the use of the Ibis analysis software
- Discuss future directions of biological mass spectrometry
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