QIAGEN launches automated sexual assault DNA processing kit

QIAGEN N.V. (NYSE: QGEN) announced the launch of the EZ2 DNA Investigator Sep&Prep Kit, an automated solution for processing sexual assault samples. The company will showcase the product at the International Symposium on Human Identification 2025 conference from November 3-6 in Palm Beach, Florida.

The kit is designed for forensic laboratories and operates on QIAGEN's EZ2 Connect Fx system, which can process up to 24 samples simultaneously. The workflow delivers DNA ready for analysis in under 2.5 hours, according to the company's press release.

The new kit addresses challenges forensic scientists face when working with sexual assault evidence samples that contain low amounts of sperm DNA and high levels of victim DNA. The system uses a novel lysis buffer to release sperm cells from cotton and flocked swabs, combined with proprietary bead technology that binds and protects sperm during a wash process to remove non-sperm DNA.

"This kit may be one of the most important advances in sex assault sample processing since differential extraction was introduced some 40 years ago," said Keith Elliott, Senior Director of Strategic Marketing Human Identification at QIAGEN.

The automated process aims to reduce manual handling compared to current methods and produces sperm fractions that can be used directly with standard DNA profiling or next-generation sequencing kits without additional purification steps.

QIAGEN develops sample preparation and analysis technologies for life sciences and molecular diagnostics applications. The Netherlands-based company serves more than 500,000 customers worldwide and employs approximately 5,700 people across more than 35 locations.

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