After a brief description of the research and benefits of the NIJ-funded research by Dr. Richard Mathies in developing faster, more reliable, higher throughput, more sensitive, and more integrated technologies for forensic STR DNA identification, this report describes a successful use of this technology by a law enforcement agency.
The RapidHIT DNA analysis system, which is one manifestation of this technology performs immediate analysis on DNA samples that are taken when people are arrested for felonies, because it can assist in quickly identifying serial criminals arrested for a felony. From 2007 through 2011, many of the technologies developed under Dr. Mathies’ research were licensed to IntegenX of Pleasanton, California. IntegenX’s RapidHIT DNA analysis system was launched in the United States in October 2012. In February 2014, the Richland County Sheriff’s Department became the first sheriff’s department in the United State to use the RapidHIT system. These systems have since been used by law enforcement in other states, such as Arizona and Florida. RapidHIT is also being used internationally, in China, Russia, and Australia.