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Busy with something else, and was going to let others do it. The big picture is that we are just shy of $1M in annual revenues from Ancestry and genotyping. There are some other issues though which I am sure others will comment on.
Some, er, interesting items in the 10Q. I'll let people read it themselves, only noting that on the 18th day of June, 2003 the agreement with the racecar driver was changed. The term of the Agreement and the term of the options associated therewith are hereby amended to extend such dates through November 8, 2004.
http://www.chalberweid.ch/DNAPrint/DNAP%20Newsletter%200103.pdf
"What happened to the racecar driver? We terminated this arrangement after separating from Tampa Bay Financial. This was a TBF brainchild, and the board consensus on marketing changed after they resigned. You should be happy that we terminated this agreement, because it protects you and your share price. Though this is unappreciated by average investors, many of the other things we have done to protect your share price also go unappreciated by the average investors."
I for one would like to see some accompanying explanation for some of these items.
W2P, that's exactly right, in the same way that for eye color 2 genes give a good approximation, and in the patent application a 4 gene solution is described and they say that a 7-8 gene solution will give complete accuracy. The important thing to remember is that nobody has ever done this before (complex trait inference from multiple genes).
frogdreaming, I am well aware that telomere length is an indicator of age, in fact the article I quoted stated that it was an "index". I was not arguing that it is the genetic basis of age. I am comfortable in my own mind that age does indeed have a genetic basis. I am familiar with the science but thank you for the reminder about some of the other factors that can affect telomere length. I did not claim that DNAP were able to determine telomere length from SNPs (it is very easy to tell this simply by reading the bases concerned directly), or that this was some sort of precursor to make their approach "viable".
CSIS Biometrics and Security Conference
http://www.csis.org/press/ma_2003_1103a.pdf
BIOMETRICS AND SECURITY Scientists, Government Officials to Assess Impact of Biometrics on Terrorism, Civil Liberties
WASHINGTON, Nov. 3, 2003 — Government officials, scientists, and scholars will participate in a morning CSIS conference analyzing the impact of biometrics technology on terrorism, constitutional privacy, and civil liberties on Tuesday, Nov. 4, at CSIS, 1800 K Street, NW, B-1 conference level.
Jeff Jonas, founder and chief scientist at Systems Research and Development, will address identity, or knowing who is who in the age of the asymmetric threat, in an address beginning at 9:10 A.M.
Two panels will focus on biometric technology developments and the civil liberty implications of biometrics.
"The technological revolution speeds forward at an ever-faster pace. Nanotechnology, dismissed as a bogus science 10 years ago, has arrived. Within 10 years, electronics will be worn, ingested or implanted. It’s time to face the future, make the most of it, ever mindful of our fundamental rights," said CSIS Transnational Threat Initiative Director Arnaud de Borchgrave.
BIOMETRICS & SECURITY
Tuesday, November 4, 2003 9:00 A.M. – 12:00 P.M. CSIS 1800 K Street, NW B-1 Conference Level
9:00 A.M. – 9:10 A.M.
Arnaud de Borchgrave, director CSIS Transnational Threats Initiative
9:10 A.M. – 9:45 A.M.
Jeff Jonas, founder and chief scientist, SRD
9:45 A.M. – 11:00 A.M.
Future Technology in Biometrics
John Woodward, director Biometrics Management Office, Department of Defense
Tony Frudakis, chief scientific officer and founder, DNAPrint Genomics
Barry Hodge, president, AcSys Biometrics Corporation
Andrew Kirby, Senior Physical Scientist, CIA
11:00 A.M. – 12:00 P.M.
Civil Liberties and the Implications of Biometrics
Margaret L. Johnson, Stanford University
David Harris, president and founder, Biometrics Council
Catherine Lotrionte Yoran, Georgetown University
Anthony Arend, Georgetown University
CSIS (Center for Strategic and International Studies) is an independent, nonpartisan policy research organization.
OK, now it starts to come together. A number of people on the Biometrics Council Board of Directors or the Scientific Advisory Committee were involved in this conference (I have put the people who were involved in bold text below):
http://www.biometricscouncil.org/
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
David J. Harris, President, Founder
Wm. Matthew Jaunich, Founder
President of The Lucror Group, L.L.C.
Arnaud de Borchgrave
Director, Transnational Threats, Center for Strategic and International Studies; Editor-at-Large, Washington Times; Editor-at-Large, United Press International
Margaret L. Johnson
Senior Lecturer, Department of Computer Science, Department of Symbolic Systems, Stanford University
Catherine Lotrionte
Adjunct Professor of Security Studies at Georgetown University
Carlos L. Signoret
Managing Director, Hispania Capital Partners
ADVISORY COMMITTEE
Alex and Michael Bronstein
Members of the 3DFACE Research Group, Technion - Israel Institute of Technology
Thomas J. Colatosti
Chairman of the Board, BIO-key International and Founder and Chief Executive Officer of American Security Ventures (ASV)
R. Terren "Terry" Dunlap
Chief Executive Officer of Ultra-Scan Corporation
Tony Frudakis
Founder, Chief Executive Officer and President of DNAPrint genomics
Barry Hodge
President of AcSys Biometrics Corporation
Corinna Lathan
Founder and CEO, AnthroTronix
Oliver "Buck" Revell
Chairman of the Board of Imagis Technologies, Inc. and retired Associate Deputy Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)
frogdreaming, I would have to disagree with your contention that age is not genetic in basis. Any number of studies relate the aging mechanism with factors such as telomere length. Here is an example:
Benetos A, Okuda K, Lajemi M, Kimura M, Thomas F, Skurnick J, Labat C, Bean K, Aviv A. Telomere length as an indicator of biological aging: The gender effect and relation with pulse pressure and pulse wave velocity. Hypertension. 2001 Feb;37(2):381-5.
Center "Investigations Preventives et Cliniques" (IPC), INSERM U337, Paris, France. benetos@ipc.asso.fr
Chronological age is the primary determinant of stiffness of central arteries. Increased stiffness is an independent indicator of cardiovascular risk. The aim of this study was to determine whether telomere length, a possible index of biological aging, provides a better account than chronological age for variation in arterial stiffness, evaluated by measuring pulse pressure and aortic pulse wave velocity. The study population included 193 French subjects (120 men, 73 women), with a mean age of 56+/-11 years, who were not on any antihypertensive medications. Telomere length was evaluated in white blood cells by measuring the mean length of the terminal restriction fragments. Age-adjusted telomere length was longer in women than in men (8.67+/-0.09 versus 8.37+/-0.07 kb; P:=0.016). In both genders, telomere length was inversely correlated with age (P:<0.01). Multivariate analysis showed that in men, but not in women, telomere length significantly contributed to pulse pressure and pulse wave velocity variations. In conclusion, telomere length provides an additional account to chronological age of variations in both pulse pressure and pulse wave velocity among men, such that men with shorter telomere length are more likely to exhibit high pulse pressure and pulse wave velocity, which are indices of large artery stiffness. The longer telomere length in women suggests that for a given chronological age, biological aging of men is more advanced than that of women.
What is an "acceptable level of accuracy" for such a test? In the final analysis does it contribute useful information to law enforcement personnel that enables them to narrow a search within a suspect pool. I still think that Retinome-HA (or whatever the hair color test is eventually termed) will provide an accurate assessment of natural hair color and that this information (with or without qualifiers) will be potentially useful in a significant number of cases. Let's not forget that Retinome-HA will also be used as just one constituent of the DNA Witness product suite. Could all of the traits tested for be inaccurate and the police be led up a blind alley? Theoretically I suppose you have to say that this is possible unless the tests are 100% accurate, but the ancestry test seems to be working OK in practice so far.
Not having yet seen the popular science article I cannot comment on it, but I seem to remember the company recently saying that the accuracy of Retinome had been improved and that the product was due to be launched.
That was mentioned somewhere a while ago wasn't it, but I can't remember where. It looks like when they say something is going to happen it does - even if there is a delay sometimes.
With hindsight, we actually knew about the pending Popular Science article. From this 2002 press release:
http://www.dnaprint.com/pr_11_7.html
About ANCESTRYbyDNA.
ANCESTRYbyDNA is the world's first recreational genomics test. Generally, the test provides a highly precise ancestral admixture analysis within individuals and in so doing provides an estimate of identity or affiliation with each of the world's major continental populations. Specifically, the test measures an individual's proportion of IndoEuropean, African, East Asian Pacific Islander and Native American ancestry. The testing service has been or will soon be featured in articles from the New York Times, Financial Times, the Sarasota-Bradenton Herald, US News and World Report and Popular Science Magazine. It has or will be featured on several different television and radio networks including WNYC, ABC, Fox, BBC, Germany's ZDF and the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
frogdreaming, my position is that DNAP will potentially be able to tell hair color (and hair shape BTW which is inherited separately) from DNA analysis; the main complication being the complexity of the number of genes and the number of allele variations that seem to be involved. This of course is the "natural" hair color in the absence of the other factors that have been listed. It is in this sense that I maintain that there is a causal linkage between "hair color" and genetic makeup.
So they could potentially say to a police officer that the perpetrator has black hair, and might modify this to say the hair would possibly be greying if the perpetrator's age warranted it. They might also be able to say something about e.g. hair shape and male pattern baldness, which would also be relevant and useful information for the detectives concerned. It is not clear how many of the additional factors are genetic in basis and/or whether their assessment and analysis would be part of the service provided by DNAP for this particular trait(s).
The murine studies seem to be paricularly useful in a number of areas!
frogdreaming, I believe that you are incorrect in your assertions about there being a "disconnect between actual hair color and genetic make-up". Human hair color is determined by genes including as MC1R (especially), TYR, and OCA1/OCA2. This does seem to be a complex process, as the abstract of this paper shows:
Sturm RA, Teasdale RD, Box NF. Human pigmentation genes: identification, structure and consequences of polymorphic variation. Gene. 2001 Oct 17;277(1-2):49-62.
Centre for Functional and Applied Genomics, Institute for Molecular Bioscience, University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia. r.sturm@imb.uq.edu.au
The synthesis of the visible pigment melanin by the melanocyte cell is the basis of the human pigmentary system, those genes directing the formation, transport and distribution of the specialised melanosome organelle in which melanin accumulates can legitimately be called pigmentation genes. The genes involved in this process have been identified through comparative genomic studies of mouse coat colour mutations and by the molecular characterisation of human hypopigmentary genetic diseases such as OCA1 and OCA2. The melanocyte responds to the peptide hormones alpha-MSH or ACTH through the MC1R G-protein coupled receptor to stimulate melanin production through induced maturation or switching of melanin type. The pheomelanosome, containing the key enzyme of the pathway tyrosinase, produces light red/yellowish melanin, whereas the eumelanosome produces darker melanins via induction of additional TYRP1, TYRP2, SILV enzymes, and the P-protein. Intramelanosomal pH governed by the P-protein may act as a critical determinant of tyrosinase enzyme activity to control the initial step in melanin synthesis or TYRP complex formation to facilitate melanogenesis and melanosomal maturation. The search for genetic variation in these candidate human pigmentation genes in various human populations has revealed high levels of polymorphism in the MC1R locus, with over 30 variant alleles so far identified. Functional correlation of MC1R alleles with skin and hair colour provides evidence that this receptor molecule is a principle component underlying normal human pigment variation.
Note the fact that both skin and hair color seem to be associated with MC1R. Here is the abstract from one of Mark Shriver's papers:
Shriver MD, Parra EJ, Dios S, Bonilla C, Norton H, Jovel C, Pfaff C, Jones C, Massac A, Cameron N, Baron A, Jackson T, Argyropoulos G, Jin L, Hoggart CJ, McKeigue PM, Kittles RA. Skin pigmentation, biogeographical ancestry and admixture mapping. Hum Genet. 2003 Apr;112(4):387-99.
Department of Anthropology, Penn State University, 409 Carpenter Bld., University Park, PA 16802, USA. mds17@psu.edu
Ancestry informative markers (AIMs) are genetic loci showing alleles with large frequency differences between populations. AIMs can be used to estimate biogeographical ancestry at the level of the population, subgroup (e.g. cases and controls) and individual. Ancestry estimates at both the subgroup and individual level can be directly instructive regarding the genetics of the phenotypes that differ qualitatively or in frequency between populations. These estimates can provide a compelling foundation for the use of admixture mapping (AM) methods to identify the genes underlying these traits. We present details of a panel of 34 AIMs and demonstrate how such studies can proceed, by using skin pigmentation as a model phenotype. We have genotyped these markers in two population samples with primarily African ancestry, viz. African Americans from Washington D.C. and an African Caribbean sample from Britain, and in a sample of European Americans from Pennsylvania. In the two African population samples, we observed significant correlations between estimates of individual ancestry and skin pigmentation as measured by reflectometry (R(2)=0.21, P<0.0001 for the African-American sample and R(2)=0.16, P<0.0001 for the British African-Caribbean sample). These correlations confirm the validity of the ancestry estimates and also indicate the high level of population structure related to admixture, a level that characterizes these populations and that is detectable by using other tests to identify genetic structure. We have also applied two methods of admixture mapping to test for the effects of three candidate genes (TYR, OCA2, MC1R) on pigmentation. We show that TYR and OCA2 have measurable effects on skin pigmentation differences between the west African and west European parental populations. This work indicates that it is possible to estimate the individual ancestry of a person based on DNA analysis with a reasonable number of well-defined genetic markers. The implications and applications of ancestry estimates in biomedical research are discussed.
I would not disagree that there are genetic and non-genetic factors which change hair color including: aging, pathological reasons, biochemical reasons, minerals, chemicals, trace elements, drugs, heterochromia, etc (not to mention shaving). This does not mean that DNA analysis of hair color is as limited as your posts perhaps imply for forensic purposes, even if qualifications might have to be used with this particular test.
W2P, if the only thing we are "disagreeing" about is the size of the step then I think we can agree that long term this is all good for DNAP lol.
http://www.dnaprint.com/2003/corporate/bits_pieces.html
FDA Initiative and Pharmacogenomics
In a recent release, the FDA announced that pharmaceutical and bio pharmaceutical companies should take into consideration genetic testing during clinical trials and for post approval drug monitoring. Pharmaceutical and bio pharmaceutical companies will need to incorporate genetic testing in their drug discovery, clinical development as well as post drug approval monitoring in the very near future. Leveraging its proprietary ADMIXMAP, MALD/AIM, AIMs, and ultra high throughput SNP screening technologies, DNAPrintTM is strategically positioned to serve the growing compliance and operational needs of pharmaceutical companies.
The FDA estimates that 2.4 million patients had adverse drug reactions in 2000, leading to the deaths of more than 125,000 patients. Adverse drug reactions represent the fourth leading cause of death in the United States.
As part of the FDA’s mandate to reduce the number of deaths caused by adverse drug reactions, on January 31, 2003 the FDA released an initial statement covering new initiatives related to pharmacogenomics. The FDA recognizes that new therapies will be developed because pharmacogenomic tests that can define sub-populations that exhibit a differential response to drug therapies will be available. As a result, the FDA plans to hold a workshop in 2003 to discuss issues involved in the co-development of pharmacogenomics tests and drugs. By mid-2004, the agency plans to issue joint guidance between The Center for Devices and Radiological Health (“CDRH”) and The Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (“CDER”) outlining the regulatory pathway to approval for drug/pharmacogenomic diagnostic combinations. In 2005, the FDA plans to issue guidance on when and how to submit pharmacogenomic information to the agency during the drug development process and clarify when such information will be considered as part of the drug safety evaluation process.
Within the next 12 months we believe there will exist a clear path to market for pharmacogenomic tests linked to drugs. In addition, with greater FDA recognition of pharmacogenomics, the pharmaceutical industry will accelerate its rate of adoption for pharmacogenomics tests.
I agree the comments on the guidelines will be interesting. For anybody that wants to follow the on-going submissions (comments are due to be returned by January 5, 2004) you can search the FDA dockets management page:
http://www.fda.gov/ohrms/dockets/default.htm
using the identifier 2003D-0497 (Guidance for Industry on Pharmacogenomic Data Submissions).
OT: A bit more information about Southern Domain Technologies Sdn Bhd:
http://www.southerndomain-tech.com/main.htm
This site has more information about the company:
http://www.technopreneurs.net.my/techno/Search/ICT/ICT_ListDetails.asp?ID=12814
Note the PDF download at the bottom of the page. From this site we can see that the Managing Director is one Paul Michael Smith. That would be this guy:
http://www.tao.net/about_us/aboutus_management_pual.htm
Then again Sam it looks like we might have some connections after all!
Cowboyd, good points. As I said in the original mail we cannot see the context and therefore do not know why Tony was invited to contribute to this. Given the mention of DNAP along with the agencies in question it is indeed tempting to infer an association or familiarity. If this is not the case why are they involved? It could be that somebody suggested that two people from the Biometrics Council would have some insight. If so who made the suggestion, and why were these two chosen? It is intriguing and I think that we are not yet seeing the whole picture here IMO.
chig, I think that we are in this race! My issue is with the FDA itself. Having said that, I admit that they they have a very tough job. They have had some success over the years - here is an article from 1998:
http://www.dcmsonline.org/jax-medicine/1998journals/august98/fdaissues.htm
In particular I have always been impressed by Frances Kelsey, and the example she set for the organization. Here is more detail on her contributions:
http://www.fda.gov/fdac/features/2001/201_kelsey.html
mahastock, exactly, and it has been eight months since this partnership was announced (and there was probably some proof of concept work undertaken before the agreement was signed). I have been half expecting some news on this front. We might hopefuly see some sort of announcement from the two companies in the not too distant future.
GeneLink press release
http://home.businesswire.com/portal/site/google/index.jsp?ndmViewId=news_view&newsId=20031105005...
November 05, 2003 07:01 AM US Eastern Timezone
GeneLink Receives Notice of Allowance of Trademark: Dermagenetics
MARGATE, N.J.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov. 5, 2003--GeneLink, Inc. (OTCBB:GNLK) announced that the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office has issued a Notice of Allowance of GeneLink's trademark, Dermagenetics(TM).
"Advances in skin care enabled by GeneLink's Dermagenetics(TM) Profiles are imminent," said John DePhillipo, GeneLink's CEO. "A dramatic new series of anti-aging and anti-wrinkling skin creams based on GeneLink's Dermagenetics(TM) Profiles, will soon be available for women and men, worldwide. A person will be able to visit a cosmetic counter and purchase customized skin cream based on GeneLink's Dermagenetics(TM) Profiles."
By analyzing an individual's DNA, which can be taken from the mouth with a cotton swab, it is possible to predict if he or she is prone to develop certain skin conditions, skin irritations, premature wrinkling and other risks related to oxidative damage, environmental stresses, and photo-aging.
GeneLink is the leader in the field of Dermagenetics(TM), the new science of utilizing gene technologies to measure a person's predicted skin deficiencies. Dermagenetics(TM) facilitates the creation of skin care products and regimens scientifically designed to ameliorate a variety of skin health problems.
GeneLink now offers cosmetic companies the ability to create and market a powerful new class of 'genetically guided' skin-care products; these products are ultimately more effective because they are designed to target an individual's specific needs.
GeneLink, Inc. (www.genelink.info) since 1994, developed the World's First Family Centered DNA Bank and Hereditary Genetic Information Service. With recent breakthroughs, GeneLink is a pioneer and leading provider of DNA tests created to facilitate "genetically guided" health, beauty and wellness products. The company both markets and licenses its proprietary tests to the $1.4 trillion cosmetics, nutritional supplement and healthcare industries.
This press release contains certain forward-looking statements within the meaning of section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. With the exception of historical information contained herein, the matters discussed in the press release involve risk and uncertainties. Actual results could differ materially from those expressed in any forward-looking statement. GNLK disclaims any intention or obligation to revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future developments or otherwise.
Sorry, should have pointed out that the other person quoted in the article, Barry Hodge, is (together with Tony) on the Biometrics Council Advisory Committee:
http://www.biometricscouncil.org/
ADVISORY COMMITTEE
Alex and Michael Bronstein
Members of the 3DFACE Research Group, Technion - Israel Institute of Technology
Thomas J. Colatosti
Chairman of the Board, BIO-key International and Founder and Chief Executive Officer of American Security Ventures (ASV)
R. Terren "Terry" Dunlap
Chief Executive Officer of Ultra-Scan Corporation
Tony Frudakis
Founder, Chief Executive Officer and President of DNAPrint genomics
Barry Hodge
President of AcSys Biometrics Corporation
Corinna Lathan
Founder and CEO, AnthroTronix
Oliver "Buck" Revell
Chairman of the Board of Imagis Technologies, Inc. and retired Associate Deputy Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)
Here is an article about John Woodward and his work at the Pentagon:
http://www.washingtontechnology.com/news/18_13/homeland/21791-1.html
09/29/03; Vol. 18 No. 13
Great expectations: Biometrics
Dogged by 'Hollywood mystique,' biometrics struggles to fulfill promise
By Patience Wait
"1995 is the Year of Biometrics."
That's what John Woodward, then a senior policy analyst at Rand Corp., wrote in a book he authored eight years ago. For several years thereafter, as he updated the text, Woodward would repeat the phrase, firmly believing that the current year would finally see biometrics take off.
Woodward, who takes over Oct. 1 as director of the Defense Department's Biometrics Management Office, tells this story about himself to acknowledge that biometrics' payoff has yet to match its promise. Government interest in using biometric technologies to improve security rose dramatically following the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, but many obstacles and problems have prevented the widespread deployment of biometrics that was originally envisioned.
Some technologies, such as facial recognition solutions, are still immature, and many photographic collections, such as police mug shots, have not been converted for use with new systems. Digital fingerprinting is much more mature, but agencies have not taken full advantage of this technology, because databases have been developed primarily for law enforcement, not authentication.
Using biometrics requires agencies to rethink security procedures and, in many cases, adapt their IT infrastructures to the new technologies. And proponents of biometrics are finding strong resistance to the new technologies from both citizens and government users.
Dennis Carlton of the International Biometric Group said it’s surprising that biometrics “have not yet slipped into the mainstream of commerce.”
"John and many others have, for many years, predicted that [biometrics] is about to take off," said Dennis Carlton, director of Washington operations for the International Biometric Group, a consulting and research firm in New York. "It is a curiosity that technologies that really are quite capable ... have not yet slipped into the mainstream of commerce, in either government or private applications."
Not surprisingly, the current market for biometrics technologies is not huge. Allied Business Intelligence Inc. of Oyster Bay, N.Y., last December estimated that the industry would generate only about $153 million in 2003. But the research firm forecast annual growth through 2007 at about 47 percent.
And while biometrics may be only a small part of the total government IT market, it plays a disproportionately important role in major infrastructure projects aimed at overhauling U.S. border controls, changing visa and passport systems and credentialing transportation industry workers.
Still, Carlton questions whether emerging biometric solutions can sustain a new industry and market, given the unmet expectations over the years.
"Now, I'm a lot more skeptical," he said. "Show me it's moved from the hands of the R&D people to the production people."
THE HOLLYWOOD CURSE
Biometrics is the science of identifying, recording and matching unique physical characteristics to individuals. There are five basic technologies: facial recognition, fingerprint, hand geometry, iris recognition and voice recognition. There also are many different vendors, and each has its own technological variations.
Biometrics offer the promise of improved security for both physical access and what the industry calls logical access, or entry into computer networks and applications.
"The space we're in fundamentally is not a shrink-wrapped space," said John Dorr, vice president of marketing for Viisage Technology Inc., a Littleton, Mass. company that provides facial recognition technology for identity verification. "We don't just build technology, ship it in a box and tell the customer to just add water and stir."
By combining a biometric such as an iris scan, to verify a person's identity with other security measures, such as an access card or a password, it becomes much more difficult for unauthorized people to gain entry to airport runways, for instance, or to break into computers. For state governments, it can make it much easier to identify people trying to set up multiple identities, whether their motive is fraud or terrorism.
Federal agencies have begun small-scale projects that incorporate biometrics for security purposes. The Office of Legislative Counsel in the House of Representatives uses an iris recognition system to protect confidential files and working documents, while the Pentagon's athletic club uses a facial recognition system to control access.
The General Accounting Office reported to Congress that the State Department has been running pilot programs using facial recognition systems at 23 overseas consular posts for several years. But agencies do not have any large-scale programs in place.
In many of the large applications the government is considering, such as the proposed U.S. Visitor and Immigration Status Indication Technology system to monitor the entry and exit of foreign nationals at the country's borders, biometrics is a key technology but only one part of a complete overhaul of the infrastructure and procedures for border control, Dorr said.
US Visit is valued at anywhere between $1.5 billion and $10 billion, depending on the scope and duration of the project. The Homeland Security Department is expected to release the request for proposal in November.
Another major biometrics initiative on the horizon is Homeland Security's Transportation Worker Identification Credential program. Under TWIC, the Transportation Security Administration is planning to create a smart card that incorporates a biometric feature and will be issued to as many as 15 million workers in the transportation industry nationwide from airports to seaports to railways.
Because many, if not most, of these workers are employed in the private sector, questions remain regarding who will bear the cost of implementing the new technology and how to enroll people, track their employment and then remove or change their records when they change jobs. Another problem to resolve is how to ensure the compatibility of the hardware and software that will be purchased by many different buyers.
Mike Brooks, director of the General Services Administration's Center for Smart Card Solutions, said his office is putting together a team to evaluate biometrics technologies to be incorporated into smart cards, eventually being able to program and reprogram cards to allow changes in user access to facilities, computers and applications.
"We're looking at biometrics as a secondary level of authentication and security," Brooks said. "We want to be able to have those capabilities, be able to turn it off and on when we go to levels of higher security."
But just as US Visit and TWIC are being readied for systems integrators, at least one biometrics technology has stumbled in public perception. High-visibility pilot projects, one in Tampa, Fla., the other at Boston Logan International Airport, were halted in large part because the facial recognition technology being tested did not accomplish what the project's designers had hoped.
At Logan, where 10 of the Sept. 11 terrorists boarded flights that were hijacked, facial recognition systems had a failure rate of 38.6 percent. According to press reports, the systems didn't detect volunteers playing potential terrorists.
In Tampa, the police department spent two years testing a facial recognition system. During that time, no arrests were made based on the system, and all the facial matches made were false positives -- that is, incorrect. Both programs received widespread media attention.
One industry expert cited the Tampa experiment as an example of the need for better integration of the component parts. That trial failed, he said, because the cameras didn't match the facial recognition technology.
Another problem is what many experts call "the Hollywood mystique." In television shows and movies, special effects make biometrics appear efficient and effortless, creating a perception that the technology is speedy, 100 percent accurate and comprehensive.
For instance, on the CBS show "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation," a crime lab receives the results of DNA test results in hours. The reality is more like weeks, experts said. Similarly on the show, fingerprints get matched automatically, seemingly within minutes, without human involvement. In reality, the FBI tries to honor law enforcement requests for fingerprint searches within two hours (24 hours for a civilian background check), and the results have to be evaluated by a trained technician.
"People think that ["CSI"] is a baseline for how forensic science works, and it's not like that," said Viisage's Dorr.
"The biometrics industry has suffered most from the hype over capabilities over the years, and Hollywood has made it worse," said Gordon Hannah, senior manager of the security access and identity management team at BearingPoint Inc. "We see those [unrealistic expectations] not just in this country, but around the world."
BIOMETRIC HURDLES
A key House panel on technology met earlier this month to examine why smart cards have not been widely adopted throughout the government, including the incorporation of biometrics for security and convenience.
"The University of Florida gave smart cards to 50,000 students 10 years ago that they could use as room keys, lab keys or to charge pizza and books at stores around town," said Rep. Adam Putnam, R-Fla., chairman of the House Government Reform subcommittee on technology, information policy, intergovernmental relations and the census, at the Sept. 9 hearing. "Why can't the federal government do what Florida universities have been doing for years?"
Several witnesses noted the widely differing priorities among all the federal agencies, which make it extremely difficult to set up a single departmentwide structure. An equally important though more subtle challenge is resistance among federal employees to using biometrics.
"Some people find biometric technologies difficult, if not impossible to use," said Keith Rhodes, GAO's chief technologist. "Others resist biometrics because they believe them to be intrusive, inherently offensive or just uncomfortable to use."
Ken Scheflen, director of the Defense Manpower Data Center, said security personnel have grown accustomed to using physical documents, things they can read, hold and compare to the person presenting them.
"We have to move people away from the idea that [visual] inspection of documents is sufficient," he said.
GAO officials also said agencies face a potentially high price tag for security systems using biometric technologies. In a November 2002 report on the prospective use of biometrics for border security, for instance, GAO estimated that implementing visas that incorporate biometrics would have an upfront cost of anywhere from $1.3 billion to $2.9 billion, with annual operating costs of from $700 million to $1.5 billion thereafter.
Lack of standardization also has hindered adoption of biometric technologies, experts said. The biometrics industry is highly fragmented, with hundreds of vendors. Competing vendors for biometrics systems, such as fingerprint technologies, use different algorithms to map points on the prints and set up unique databases to handle storage and retrieval. Federal agencies need technological standardization among competing suppliers so they can communicate and share information with other agencies.
The National Institute for Standards and Technology is working with other government agencies and industry to devise standards that will ensure interoperability. NIST already has released two drafts, the most recent one this summer. But agencies that purchased technology that met the first draft now are left wondering whether the new draft standard is backward-compatible with their equipment.
The Defense Department's Common Access Card program, which ultimately will issue smart cards to more than 4.4 million users, does not yet include a biometric identifier such as a fingerprint template, in part because the standards are not yet finalized, and because it would require more investment in issuer and reader equipment.
In his new Pentagon job, Woodward will direct the group charged with helping private industry and NIST establish standards to allow interoperability and integrate biometric technologies into the military's Common Access Card program.
Woodward said the NIST effort to devise industry standards complements his office's responsibility for trying to unify and standardize biometrics throughout the Pentagon. As part of that mission, the BMO will be one of the first organizations at the Pentagon to implement a new, streamlined acquisition process that is intended to stress interoperability and joint functionality between defense organizations.
WORTH THE TROUBLE
Despite the uncertainties facing the biometrics industry, the success stories demonstrate why the industry is full of true believers and evangelists.
Viisage, for instance, has installed its facial recognition technology in the Pinellas County, Fla., sheriff's office. When a suspect is brought in to be booked and photographed, the technology can screen to see if the person is using an assumed name and is actually someone else who's been in the system before.
"You can use facial recognition to identify that it's really not John Doe, it's Fred Smith, and he's got three outstanding warrants," Dorr said. "You're going to handle the situation completely differently."
Visitors to the Pinellas County jail also are screened and matched to the database. The facial recognition system has identified two or three visitors who had outstanding arrest warrants, Dorr said. As a result, there has been a 17 percent drop in visitors
"When you've got bad guys in a building, everybody visiting isn't going to be goody two shoes," Dorr said. "This is kind of a deterrent."
Facial recognition technology also is being used extensively in state motor vehicle licensing systems to combat false issuance and duplication of licenses. The state of Illinois, for example, has collected 15 million images since 1999. Not that long ago, the system identified someone who had created 13 different identities.
"The facial recognition element is what enabled them to figure that out. That's solving a real problem," Dorr said.
Staff Writer Patience Wait can be reached at pwait@postnewsweektech.com.
It is a little difficult to comment on this article as we are missing some context. From the fact that Tony was asked for a quote he is obviously in some way(s) involved with biometrics, and it is interesting that iris recognition technology was mentioned. What I find particularly impressive are the people that were also quoted in the article:
Andrew Kirby, senior physical scientist at CIA's Intelligence Technology and Innovation Center
John Woodward, director of the Pentagon's biometrics management office
Looks like Tony is keeping good company!
W2P, of course I agree that it is an important (if small) step. Tongue in cheek, let me draw an analogy to the FDA's approach. Suppose hypothetically that a decision was made to completely revamp Presidential election processes and procedures (and supporting technology), and to standardize this approach across states. You could do this in one of two ways: let each state do their own thing for a few elections and try to infer best practice from an analysis of practical experiences, or agree on the best practice upfront in consultantion with concerned parties and then implement this. Now you can argue that there is a longer lead time associated with the latter, but it should result in the benefits of a standard approach being realized earlier. Of course it is not a fair analogy, after all states can't opt out of elections in the same way that big pharma will be be able to opt out of making voluntary genomic data submissions.
Tony Frudakis quoted in this Economic Times article
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/cms.dll/xml/uncomp/articleshow?msid=268217
Not for your eyes only!
TABASSUM ZAKARIA
REUTERS WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 05, 2003 12:10:58 PM
WASHINGTON: The CIA is trying to improve facial recognition technology which can be notoriously inaccurate, and also develop ways to identify from a distance a target in motion by the iris of the person's eye, a CIA scientist said on Tuesday.
Differences in simple factors like lighting and expression can impede identification of someone using current facial recognition technology, said Andrew Kirby, senior physical scientist at CIA's Intelligence Technology and Innovation Center.
"Those differences are so significant that my own picture taken in two different places at two different times is actually more difficult to match than it would be to match me with someone in this audience," he said at a Center for Strategic and International Studies forum on biometrics.
Kirby said his program, which was created two years ago, has set a goal of improving face recognition technology "by a factor of 10."
Currently iris recognition technology is more reliable but requires a cooperative subject who will stand in front of the scanner and line up the eye properly, he said.
"We're looking at remote iris recognition," Kirby said. It would be more valuable if the iris could be captured by a camera while the person was in motion at a distance to make the identification, he said.
"One of the main thrusts of our program is in fact to make this possible," Kirby added.
Guantanamo measures
The US Army is using biometrics, which also includes the more commonly used identification tool of fingerprints, to build identity records for detainees at the US naval base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, Kirby said.
Those records will be used to identify detainees who are released if they resurface to U.S. authorities in the future, he said.
Using biometrics can be important for counterterrorism and counterinsurgency efforts, said John Woodward, director of the Pentagon's biometrics management office.
For example, with a large number of foreign locals working on military installations overseas, if that person is fired for some reason and goes to another base to get hired under a different identity, biometrics could help identify that person.
It could also be used to identify people who try to give false intelligence at one US location and then try it again under a different identity at another, he said.
The goal for the future is to combine different biometrics "to give us the ability to make identification from a distance to a very accurate level," he said.
In 10 years, there will be handheld devices that "track the person's presence like a bloodhound," Tony Frudakis, chief scientific officer and founder of DNAPrint Genomics, said.
Barry Hodge, president of AcSys Biometrics Corp., said according to a recent study, the facial recognition biometric market worldwide is a $21.5 million business and is forecast to grow to $791.6 million by 2009.
"That's a huge growth rate, so obviously people are expecting a lot of excitement and things to be happening around the facial recognition marketplace," Hodge said.
Reproducing the ability of a person to recognize another in a computer is difficult, he said.
"You recognise them from the back, you recognize them from the side, in varying lighting conditions. When you see people you know, you just know them. And teaching a computer to do that is an amazingly difficult task," Hodge said.
Yes, this is better. However, if you look at the guidelines for submission format on page 11 it is still rather unstructured. The FDA seems to want to infer the relevant submission format(s) from experience rather than try to define a format(s) and then implement it. There is no mention of race or ancestry in this document at all, although population is mentioned in relation to variable drug response. It is undoubtedly a step forward, but in some ways a missed opportunity as well - they could have gone further IMO.
Chris, this one is especially for you:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/3237383.stm
Robert, no the AMS genome conference is a complete mystery!
And this one is just background and agenda for an industry workshop on the draft proposal. In practice this is where a bunch of good old boys (look at the attendees) decide what data they are going to submit to the FDA.
GE
"The draft guidance describes the Voluntary Genomic Data Submission (VGDS) that can be used for such a voluntary submission. The draft guidance does not recommend a specific format for the VGDS, except that such a voluntary submission be designated a VGDS. The data submitted in a VGDS and the level of detail should be sufficient for FDA to be able to interpret the information and independently analyze the data, verify results, and explore possible genotype-phenotype correlations across studies."
There is no other information on the VGDS, because there are no other guidelines or format specification for it! All in all this is a rather disappointing guideline that doesn't really go very far towards proposing guidelines that the industry can actually comment on. This contrasts somewhat with the following paragraph from the press release:
"The guidance provides specific criteria and recommendations on submission of pharmacogenomic data to investigational new drug applications (INDs) and New Drug Applications (NDAs) and Biological License Applications (BLAs). This includes information on what data is needed, and how FDA will or will not use such data in regulatory decisions."
Indeed the FDA invite very broad comments:
"With respect to the following collection of information, FDA invites comments on these topics: (1) Whether the proposed collection of information is necessary for the proper performance of FDA’s functions, including whether the information will have practical utility; (2) the accuracy of FDA’s estimate of the burden of the proposed collection of information, including the validity of the methodology and assumptions used; (3) ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; and (4) ways to minimize the burden of the collection on respondents, including through the use of automated collection techniques, when appropriate, and other forms of information technology."
Applied Biosystems have two big press releases today
http://home.businesswire.com/portal/site/google/index.jsp?ndmViewId=news_view&newsId=20031103005...
November 03, 2003 07:02 AM US Eastern Timezone
Applied Biosystems Completes Genome-Wide Human Genetic Variation Map and Introduces Tool for Designing Disease Association Studies Based on SNPs
BIOWIRE2K
FOSTER CITY, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov. 3, 2003--Applied Biosystems Group (NYSE:ABI), an Applera Corporation business, today announced it has completed the development of a genome-wide human genetic variation map based on single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), and introduced a free, downloadable software tool for viewing these variations in the context of individual genes, chromosomal regions, and the entire human genome. The SNPbrowser(TM) Software, available at http://www.allsnps.com/snpbrowser, will be demonstrated at the Applied Biosystems booth #401 on November 5-7, 2003 at the 53rd Annual Meeting of The American Society of Human Genetics in Los Angeles, Calif.
"We are pleased to offer the genetics community these valuable data and easy-to-use and informative tools to simplify the design of disease association studies and map genes that underlie complex traits and diseases," said Michael W. Hunkapiller, Ph.D., president of Applied Biosystems. "The genetic variation data contained within the SNPbrowser(TM) Software offers researchers a rational way to design experiments, select from over 150,000 SNP genotyping assays to study specific regions of the genome, and prioritize which studies are more likely to be successful today based on the pattern of genetic marker associations provided."
The SNPbrowser(TM) Software includes a gene-centric, genome-wide SNP map, practical study design parameters, and links to TaqMan(R) Assays-on-Demand(TM) products -- pre-validated primer and probe sets for SNP genotyping experiments available via the Applied Biosystems online store. Researchers can query the physical location of SNPs on the chromosome and linkage disequilibrium (LD) maps (the degree of statistical association between alleles of neighboring sequence variants), assess the likely statistical power of a study, and view the boundaries of putative haplotype blocks (regions of the genome in which certain allelic variations tend to be inherited together within a population). This combined information, together with an intuitive visualization tool, provides a unique resource for the research community to study SNPs within their genomic and genetic context and is expected to simplify the process of designing disease association studies. Further, unlike array-based methods and other fixed-set approaches, SNPbrowser(TM) Software enables researchers to use LD map information to tailor their SNP selection and other study design parameters to achieve the most effective use of their research budget, without compromising statistical power.
"The value of the human genome for localizing genes for disease susceptibility is enhanced by the genome-wide linkage disequilibrium map, which provides a basis for evolutionary studies that have been difficult before," said Newton E. Morton, Ph.D., professor at the Human Genetics Research Division at the University of Southampton, a pioneer in the development and application of methods for analysis of genetic linkage and Mendelian segregation in humans and member of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences. "This impressive accomplishment puts linkage disequilibrium mapping where linkage was nearly one century ago, with the same excitement and promise."
The Applied Biosystems genetic variation data available for viewing through the SNPbrowser(TM) Software are the result of analysis of over 40 million genotypes generated by Applied Biosystems through the validation of its more than 150,000 SNP genotyping assays. The selected SNPs were validated by individually genotyping 180 DNA samples from African-American, Caucasian, Chinese, and Japanese individuals.
About Applera Corporation and Applied Biosystems
Applera Corporation consists of two operating groups. The Applied Biosystems Group serves the life science industry and research community by developing and marketing instrument-based systems, consumables, software, and services. Customers use these tools to analyze nucleic acids (DNA and RNA), small molecules, and proteins to make scientific discoveries, develop new pharmaceuticals, and conduct standardized testing. Applied Biosystems is headquartered in Foster City, Calif., and reported sales of $1.7 billion during fiscal 2003. The Celera Genomics Group (NYSE:CRA), located in Rockville, Md., and South San Francisco, Calif., is engaged principally in integrating advanced technologies to discover and develop new therapeutics. Celera intends to leverage its proteomic, bioinformatic, and genomic capabilities to identify and validate drug targets, and to discover and develop new therapeutics. Its Celera Discovery System(TM) online platform, marketed exclusively through the Applied Biosystems Knowledge Business, is an integrated source of information based on the human genome and other biological and medical sources. Celera Diagnostics, a 50/50 joint venture between Applied Biosystems and Celera Genomics, is focused on discovery, development, and commercialization of novel diagnostic products. Information about Applera Corporation, including reports and other information filed by the company with the Securities and Exchange Commission, is available at http://www.applera.com, or by telephoning 800-762-6923. Information about Applied Biosystems is available at http://www.appliedbiosystems.com/.
Certain statements in this press release are forward-looking. These may be identified by the use of forward-looking words or phrases such as "expect," among others. These forward-looking statements are based on Applera Corporation's current expectations. The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 provides a "safe harbor" for such forward-looking statements. In order to comply with the terms of the safe harbor, Applera Corporation notes that a variety of factors could cause actual results and experience to differ materially from the anticipated results or other expectations expressed in such forward-looking statements. These factors include but are not limited to (1) rapidly changing technology and dependence on development of new products; (2) the Applied Biosystems Knowledge Business' dependence on the operation of computer hardware, software, and Internet applications and related technology; (3) the accuracy of the underlying data in the SNPbrowser(TM) Software; (4) the utility of the linkage disequilibrium map to design disease association studies; and (5) other factors that might be described from time to time in Applera Corporation's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. All information in this press release is as of the date of the release, and Applera does not undertake any duty to update this information, including any forward-looking statements, unless required by law.
Applied Biosystems is a registered trademark and Applera, Assays-on-Demand, Celera, Celera Diagnostics, Celera Discovery System, Celera Genomics, and SNPbrowser are trademarks of Applera Corporation or its subsidiaries in the U.S. and/or certain other countries.
http://home.businesswire.com/portal/site/google/index.jsp?ndmViewId=news_view&newsId=20031103005...
November 03, 2003 07:02 AM US Eastern Timezone
Applied Biosystems Introduces New System for Forensic Analysis at the CODIS Annual Meeting
BIOWIRE2K
CODIS User Meeting
FOSTER CITY, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov. 3, 2003--Applied Biosystems Group (NYSE:ABI), an Applera Corporation business, today announced the introduction of two new kits for forensic testing and other human identification purposes that allow analysts to determine the amount of human DNA or male-specific DNA present in samples. Determination of the presence and amount of DNA in various types of evidentiary samples is an important first step prior to subsequent testing performed for forensic identification. Product information will be made available at the Applied Biosystems booth on November 3-6, 2003 at the 9th Annual CODIS User Meeting in Lansdowne, Va. CODIS (Combined DNA Index System) is a DNA database system, managed by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, that enables federal, state, and local crime labs to exchange and compare DNA profiles electronically, thereby linking crimes to each other and to convicted offenders.
Samples collected at a crime scene may be degraded due to environmental and other factors and may not contain enough detectable DNA to elicit identification. As a result, samples collected at a crime scene may not produce a positive identification. Based on real-time PCR technology, the Quantifiler(TM) Human DNA Quantification Kit and the Quantifiler(TM) Y Human Male DNA Quantification Kit enable analysts to quickly and reliably quantify the amount of amplifiable DNA present in a sample prior to subsequent forensic analyses. The Quantifiler(TM) Y Human Male DNA Quantification Kit is the only commercially available kit for male specific DNA quantification. In addition, Applied Biosystems performed developmental validation on the kits under the DNA Advisory Board's "Quality Assurance Standards for Forensic DNA Testing Laboratories," which provides guidelines for DNA testing in the forensic community. Following these standards provides assurance to users of the Quantifiler(TM) kits that Applied Biosystems has addressed the DNA Advisory Board's recommendations.
"Crime laboratories need to quickly process samples, and delays can occur when a sample does not produce the appropriate results and must be retested," said Michael W. Hunkapiller, Ph.D., president of Applied Biosystems. "The two new Quantifiler(TM) Kits offer an improved system to perform sample quantification, which will streamline this important first step of sample analysis, and potentially reduce the number of failed identification tests."
A proportionately large number of all casework samples are mixtures of male and female DNA, such as samples collected from sexual assaults. The Quantifiler(TM) Y Human Male DNA Quantification Kit detects only the male portion of a potential mixed DNA sample and provides a valuable tool in the analysis of these important case samples.
Applied Biosystems is the leading provider of technologies for the forensic community. In addition to real-time PCR-based kits for sample quantification, Applied Biosystems provides a comprehensive set of advanced DNA technologies that allow analysts to determine human identity to one person in one trillion. These technologies allow laboratories to establish paternity, identify the remains of military personnel or disaster victims, and to identify victims and perpetrators associated with criminal investigations.
About Applera Corporation and Applied Biosystems
Applera Corporation consists of two operating groups. The Applied Biosystems Group serves the life science industry and research community by developing and marketing instrument-based systems, consumables, software, and services. Customers use these tools to analyze nucleic acids (DNA and RNA), small molecules, and proteins to make scientific discoveries, develop new pharmaceuticals, and conduct standardized testing. Applied Biosystems is headquartered in Foster City, Calif., and reported sales of $1.7 billion during fiscal 2003. The Celera Genomics Group (NYSE:CRA), located in Rockville, Md., and South San Francisco, Calif., is engaged principally in integrating advanced technologies to discover and develop new therapeutics. Celera intends to leverage its proteomic, bioinformatic, and genomic capabilities to identify and validate drug targets, and to discover and develop new therapeutics. Its Celera Discovery System(TM) online platform, marketed exclusively through the Applied Biosystems Knowledge Business, is an integrated source of information based on the human genome and other biological and medical sources. Celera Diagnostics, a 50/50 joint venture between Applied Biosystems and Celera Genomics, is focused on discovery, development, and commercialization of novel diagnostic products. Information about Applera Corporation, including reports and other information filed by the company with the Securities and Exchange Commission, is available at http://www.applera.com, or by telephoning 800-762-6923. Information about Applied Biosystems is available at http://www.appliedbiosystems.com/.
Certain statements in this press release are forward-looking. These may be identified by the use of forward-looking words or phrases such as "potential" among others. These forward-looking statements are based on Applera Corporation's current expectations. The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 provides a "safe harbor" for such forward-looking statements. In order to comply with the terms of the safe harbor, Applera Corporation notes that a variety of factors could cause actual results and experience to differ materially from the anticipated results or other expectations expressed in such forward-looking statements. These factors include but are not limited to (1) rapidly changing technology and dependence on development of new products; (2) sales dependent on customers' capital spending policies; (3) claims for patent infringement; and other factors that might be described from time to time in Applera Corporation's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. All information in this press release is as of the date of the release, and Applera does not undertake any duty to update this information, including any forward-looking statements, unless required by law.
Applied Biosystems is a registered trademark and Applera, Celera, Celera Diagnostics, Celera Discovery System, Celera Genomics and Quantifiler are trademarks of Applera Corporation or its subsidiaries in the U.S. and/or certain other countries.
Here is an interesting site I came across that is concerned with the anthropology and genetics of race.
http://www.angeltowns.com/members/racialreal/index.html
stakddek, the GMED 10Q text is from a previous version and just reflects the fact that the document is not fully revised each time it is submitted. I have no doubt that the genotyping contract between GMED and DNAP would be revived if Dr Moskwitz secured the necessary funds (as is looking distinctly possible the way things are going), but cannot really comment on the relationship between the two Drs or the Malaysian companies (other than what is public domain).
DNA testing advance from New Zealand
http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/0,2106,2712889a10,00.html
New DNA test method could speed crime solving
03 November 2003
Researchers expect soon to start producing commercial quantities of a faster DNA-testing technique that promises to reduce crime-solving delays.
Auckland University microbiologist Dr David Saul says the new and more sensitive technique, the result of 20 years work, will be marketed internationally in about six months.
He expects it will take over much criminal DNA testing worldwide because of its simplicity.
Based on an enzyme in a micro-organism found at a volcanic vent on Antarctica's Mt Erebus, the automated method involves only one step to extract DNA from a crime-scene sample of hair or other material.
The existing manual method involves 20 steps and takes far longer.
"For instance getting the DNA out of hair shafts is cut down from one to two days' work to four hours," said Dr Saul.
The elimination of so much processing preserved more of the DNA, since each step destroyed 10 percent of it, he said.
This meant the new method could surpass traditional fingerprint analysis. Samples could even be taken from beanie hats lost by offenders and from window panes against which criminals had pressed their heads while lining up a burglary.
He said the new technique also carried a lower risk of human contamination because of the fewer steps and the automation.
It was described in Saturday's New Scientist magazine and details of the research will be published in the Journal of Legal Medicine.
It was developed by Auckland and Waikato Universities and Australia's Macquarie University. Their biotech company Pacific GEM has signed a deal with the Institute of Environmental Science and Research (ESR), which is helping to develop standard operating procedures and testing kits for sale.
New Zealand crime-solving has for several years suffered delays because of work backlogs at ESR, which is contracted to the police to perform DNA analysis and other forensic investigations.
ESR forensics general manager Wayne Chisnall said last night the institute would certainly consider using the new technique, "if the validation process proves that it's robust and reliable".
"I think it will help us (reduce backlogs) but it's not the magic wand. It's part of the process."
He said the DNA-testing backlogs arose in the new area of samples from burglaries and thefts, from an increasing number of homicide and sexual offending cases and from the request to analyse many more samples from each killing or sex case.
Dr Saul said the technique, using supplies of the enzyme made at Waikato University, had been tested on real cases.
"We have got enough enzyme at the moment probably to supply the world demand for about one month. That's not good enough. We want to be able to go to a commercial partner with a lot of enzyme so that we can prove to them that we have got guaranteed supply."
He said numerous overseas forensic laboratories had called to ask about the new technique after one of the researchers outlined it to a conference.
"The whole volume of testing is mushrooming.... The industry can no longer handle the throughput. We've just got the new legislation coming through where you can sample people on much more minor crimes than before. So suddenly the volume of sampling has got higher."
The testing kits' price is yet to be set.
Some earlier information:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/forensic-science/message/2792
The following article was published in the New Zealand Herald, announcing a development that will improve the sensitivity of DNA testing.
New DNA technique ready to catch crooks and cash
04.06.2002
By SIMON COLLINS
New Zealand scientists have developed a more sensitive system of DNA testing that may help to catch offenders for long-usolved crimes.
The system, developed jointly by Auckland and Waikato Universities, is being put forward as the first product of a new biotechnology company with possible American venture capital.
Waikato's head of biological sciences, Professor Roy Daniel, said the universities had patented the technique and tried it on actual criminal cases through the Institute of Environmental Science and Research (ESR).
"We have used some of their samples to see if it works, and it does," he said.
"It's a way of getting a lot more sensitivity out of the DNA techniques.
"It may be that, for example, it will be possible to go back to old samples and get results that were not possible before."
Auckland University microbiologist David Saul said the technique could be offered for sale as soon as the results were published in forensic journals and legally validated.
"We hope to put more criminals behind bars."
The universities' new biotech company is tentatively called Pacific GEM, standing for Genes, Enzymes and Microbes.
It has arisen out of a proposed centre of research excellence called NZ GEM which made the finalists, but missed out on the final selection, when the Government allocated $60 million to five new centres of research excellence in March.
Dr Daniel, who led the research centre bid, said the proposal was being refined for a second, $58 million funding round for a further two to three centres of excellence announced in last month's Budget.
The crown research institute Landcare and Sydney's Macquarie University were also partners in the first bid and are likely to participate again. A New Zealand lawyer in San Diego, Rob Ayling, is working with the universities to raise capital for the company, which will market the group's research.
Another professor of biological sciences at Waikato, American-born Dr Roberta Farrell, is co-ordinating the commercial development using her 12 years' experience with US biotech companies.
She was chief operating officer of Sandoz Chemicals Biotech Research Corporation in Lexington, Massachussetts, from 1987 to 1996.
As well as Pacific GEM, she hopes to launch a Waikato University spinoff company using bacteria and fungi in applications such as preventing sap stain in timber.
"We are very excited because we have been looking at the potential for spinoff companies for three years. Now all of a sudden things are moving very well," she said.
"My concern for New Zealand biotech is that it's easy to have a lot of research, but my students need jobs.
"We need these biotechs to get launched and start hiring New Zealanders. That is my main reason for being involved."
bag9ger, this is one of the problems that is becoming apparent. The trick is to streamline the FDA processes, with the assistance of appropriate technology as relevant, without compromising safety and quality. Perhaps the pendulum is swinging too far in one direction at the moment. The fact that the drug companies are comfortable with the new FDA head is something that I would personally intepret as a worrying sign.
stakddek, there are guidelines in place regarding forensic analysis which should prevent misuse of the technology. In any case, the defence lawyers effectively act as a safety net. Personally I would rather see the dragnets used to try to apprehend the perpetrators, and think too much is made sometimes of the "risks" involved in giving the police these tools.
ifida, the following statistics are worth repeating:
"The FDA estimates that 2.4 million patients had adverse drug reactions in 2000, leading to the deaths of more than 125,000 patients. Adverse drug reactions represent the fourth leading cause of death in the United States."
Let me put that in perspective for you all. Candlestick Park seats about 70,000 people, so it's roughly 1.8 times that many people who die from ADR (every year).
To a lot of us this is comfortably in the blindingly obvious category. In an ideal world the FDA would be able to fast track this and devote resources to mimimize the timescales. Of course we don't live in an ideal world. This article highlights some of the issues that fast-tracking this stuff entails:
http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/03_22/b3835719.htm
Is Mark McClellan the right person to resolve this? Pros and cons certainly. Anybody else have a view?
Chris, I don't think so. I spent a lot of time looking at this case before. The police were a little reluctant in some articles to divulge details of the DNA tests concerned:
http://icbirmingham.icnetwork.co.uk/0100news/0100localnews/content_objectid=13560299_method=full_sit....
But yesterday Detective Superintendent Dave Mirfield, who is leading the inquiry, was reported as saying that DNA samples taken from glasses, bottles and cigarettes at the party had provided a vital breakthrough. "We have new evidence," he said.
"I cannot discuss exactly what it is, because that may jeopardise the inquiry, but I am confident that we will be able to solve these murders.
"We have used DNA in a way that I'm not aware of it being used in this country before to trace witnesses.
This looked very promising at first. However, I eventually tracked down this article that explains the new way that DNA was used:
http://www.blacknet.co.uk/Whats_New_v2.0/Whats_New_v2.0.cgi?v=archive&c=Stop_Press&id=021010....
A new forensic technique which analyses saliva and sweat is being used by detectives hunting the killers of Letisha Shakespeare and Charlene Ellis.
More than a dozen people have been traced by police using the new DNA process, who could have witnessed the shooting.
Officers hope the development will help them overcome the wall of silence which has surrounded the killings which took place in the early hours of January 2.
Although more than 100 revellers were at the party outside a hair salon in Birchfield Road, Aston, many witnesses have still not come forward.
Detective Superintendent Dave Mirfield, leading the investigation, said: "It is measure of the job we face that we have got to go to these lengths to obtain witness and eye witness information."
Forensic experts have examined the Uniseven hair salon where the party was held.
They now have a DNA fingerprint for each guest after analysing chewing gum, used straws and bottles, cigarette stubs and sweat on the walls.
From this evidence they know there were 59 men and 44 women at the party, and have already spoken to 60 people.
Now they have obtained names and addresses of 15 witnesses from the DNA national database who they hope to speak to.
This looks like normal DNA fingerprinting.
W2P, OK I'll have a crack at it lol. Let's review the salient points of the original press release:
http://www.dnaprint.com/2003/pressreleases/pr_08_25_03.htm
Monday August 25, 11:25 am ET
"SARASOTA, Fla., Aug. 25 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- DNAPrint Genomics, Inc. (OTC Bulletin Board: DNAP - News; DNAPrint or the "Company") announced today that it will serve as a subcontractor for a new National Institutes of Justice (the "NIJ") research grant."
"DNAPrint will apply its expertise in the measurement of population structure and genome screening to assist the NIJ and the grantee map genetic markers of a certain forensics value, considered by the Company to be complementary to its DNAWitness efforts. The project is broken into two- phases, the first of which has already been approved. The Company would be paid approximately $50,000 to produce approximately 80,000 genotypes. Other details are not disclosed."
OK, first of all the cost from the above is $0.625 per genotype which compare favorably with our advertised genotyping rates:
http://www.dnaprint.com/2003/services/genotyping.html
"We use the most economical genotyping platform available, Beckman Coulter’s GenomeLabTM SNPstream Genotyping System. The platform uses a multiplexing format to generate large amounts of accurate data with the minimum of reagents. Each reaction tests 12 SNPs at once, minimizing the amount of precious samples required and demonstrating 80% conversion of PCR primers to interpretable data. Using Beckman Coulter’s GenomeLabTM SNPstream Genotyping System allows us to offer genotyping rates as low as $0.47 (in volume) per genotype. Even small projects are economical with this platform, although rates will vary based on the scope of your project."
"Our experienced scientists will draw on our proprietary technologies and techniques to screen even the hard to genotype regions of the genome. We combine Single Base extension technology with our proven expertise and deliver to you accurate, reproducible and timely results. We are capable of producing 150,000 genotypes in a single 8 hour shift."
Not bad, a mark-up of some 32% on the advertised cost for volume services. Hope the NIJ contractor hasn't seen this!
Now, we will be producing approximately 80,000 genotypes. What does this mean in practice?
If DNAP are capable of producing 150,000 genotypes in a single 8 hour shift will we be receiving $50K for just under four and a half hours work?
It is not clear whether or not the 80,000 genotypes relate to the first phase only or both phases. In the first case of course we would be looking at a subset of an unknown larger number of genotypes.
A genotype is formally "The combination of alleles located on homologous chromosomes that determines a specific characteristic or trait". So, does the 80,000 refer to the total number of samples or should this be divided by the number of alleles concerned for the trait in question to get the true number of samples? I think it is the former. So, I think that we are looking for 80,000 "things" of interest to somebody. It is surprising how often any "magic number" arises in practice. How about the following?
http://www.genelex.com/paternitytesting/paternitybook3.html
Another fallacy is the one heard in the Simpson case preliminary hearing. O,J. Simpson's blood type matched blood found on the sidewalk trailing away from the murder scene. Defense attorneys pointed out that 80,000 people in Los Angeles share that blood type. True, but all of those 80,000 people didn't visit 85 South Bundy where the homicides occurred.
http://www.nlectc.org/txtfiles/policetech.html
While NCIC 2000 is to have a database of single fingerprints of wanted persons, the International Automated Fingerprint Identification System (IAFIS) is slated to be a huge database of tenprint cards (cards with prints of all ten fingers). As of 1996, the bureau processed anywhere from 40,000 fingerprints a day to upward of 80,000 on unusually heavy days.
http://www.lao.ca.gov/analysis_1999/crim_justice/crim_justice_crosscutting_anl99.html
About 80,000 persons are required by state law to register for life as sex offenders with their local police chief or county sheriff because they were convicted of felony or misdemeanor sex-related crimes such as rape, child molestation, sexual assault, indecent exposure, or possession of pornography.
http://www.wordbridges.net/elderabuse/aar/vol2issue5/v2i5.pdf
They found that prosecution procedures vary widely between counties, with one prosecutor dismissing nearly three out of four charges brought in his district while another one convicts 57% of those charged with domestic violence. Overall, the paper found that 53% of all domestic violence charges statewide are dismissed by prosecutors and judges, that only about a third of the domestic violence crimes reported to authorities result in convictions, and of those 80,000 convictions they examined, only 18% are sentenced to "time behind bars."
http://www.fiu.edu/~coa/areas/ltcsvc/appendixf.pdf
There are 80,000-100,000 veterans in Broward County.
http://www.ncja.org/forum_2003_plenary_panel_discu.html
Florida's Automated Fingerprint Identification System (AFIS), which contains 87 percent of all crime prints in the state and together with the criminal history system, leads to more than 80,000 arrests every month.
http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/nij/dnamtgtrans6/trans-g.html
We have -- we have now been operating a data bank for ten years in Virginia. We are talking about a database right now approximately 200,000 samples, 75, 80,000 of which are actually profiled and in the state level of CODIS.
http://www.familystudies.org/genetics_info.htm
It is estimated that the human genome consists of at least 80,000 genes.
http://www.danceimages.com/outlinesII.html
80,000 Americans have SCA (homozygous)
All the above completely tongue in cheek BTW.
W2P, would like to see something with the "magic number" of 80,000 in it (as per the NIJ grant sub-contract).
It is independent of the patent - they say if it is related to a patent (e.g. Sequence 307 from patent US 6586570 is one of the Corixa patent related entries), and the pigmentation patent is only an application and not a published patent. Still not sure why they have chosen to publish the sequences for iris pigmentation only, but there must be a good reason you would suppose.
Chris, the ring or the Seekers database?
Linda, Entrez Nucleotide is a database of DNA sequences - actually it is a meta repository (a database of databases). From the Entrez Nucletide site:
"The Nucleotide database contains sequence data from GenBank, EMBL, and DDBJ, the members of the tripartite, international collaboration of sequence databases. EMBL is the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) at Hinxton Hall, UK, DDBJ is the DNA Database of Japan (DDBJ) in Mishima, Japan. Sequence data is also incorporated from the Genome Sequence Data Base (GSDB), Santa Fe, NM. Patent sequences are incorporated through arrangements with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), and via the collaborating international databases from other international patent offices."
The particular entry is just a series of sequences from the human TYRP1 gene related to pigmentation. It is described as a "direct submission" so I am not sure if the publication in this database is related to the pigmentation patent or if they have just published the sequence independently of the patent.
Robert, yes they seem to be based in Bradenton Florida. There is a radio show, which Tony appeared on previously, as well as the website. The slogan is good. I also like this statistic from their site: "There are approximately 60 million people touched by adoption in the US - that is one in four people!" See what I mean about potential...