Forensics News and Research

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Aware to unveil new biometrics software products at 2010 Biometrics Consortium Conference

Aware, Inc., a global provider of imaging and biometrics software, today announced that it will introduce and demonstrate several new biometrics software products in its exhibition booth at the upcoming Biometrics Consortium Conference and Technology Expo. The event takes place in Tampa from September 21 to 23, 2010.

21 Sep 2010

NMS Labs launches method for K2 drug metabolites detection in urine

Of growing concern to public health officials and law enforcement is that routine drug testing cannot detect the use of the popular and highly intoxicating new drugs K2 and Spice. NMS Labs now has a full menu of tests that can detect the use of the designer chemicals present in these products, sold as incense or legal highs. A few weeks ago, NMS Labs launched a blood test to detect a range of these laboratory-designed synthetic drugs.

16 Sep 2010

Population-specific identification criteria helps determine human remains in Chile earthquake

New research from North Carolina State University will help medical examiners and others identify human remains of those killed during the recent earthquake in Chile, as well as the bodies of the "disappeared" who were killed during the Pinochet administration.

15 Sep 2010

ECRI Institute PSO launches Patient Safety E-lerts to reduce healthcare events' risk

In response to adverse event reports received by ECRI Institute PSO and to promote such learning, ECRI Institute PSO has begun disseminating periodic Patient Safety E-lerts to participating organizations. The Patient Safety E-lert will bring attention to these issues and is concisely formatted to stimulate discussion and action by interdisciplinary committees focused on reducing the risk of healthcare events.

10 Sep 2010

NEXUS Biosystems acquires REMP from Tecan Group

NEXUS Biosystems, Inc., a leading innovator and worldwide provider of automated sample management systems, today announced the completion of the acquisition of REMP AG of Switzerland, a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Tecan Group.

From Tecan 8 Sep 2010

ProteaBio concludes agreement with George Washington University to commercialize LAESI technology

ProteaBio Europe SAS, a leading developer of new technology, announced today that the company has concluded an exclusive, worldwide license agreement with George Washington University for commercial rights to a new technology that provides rapid identification of a broad range of chemicals and biomolecules.

8 Sep 2010

Research reveals need for initiatives to prevent, treat substance abuse when fighting violent crime

A new study from Sweden's Karolinska Institutet suggests that bipolar disorder or manic-depressive disorder does not increase the risk of committing violent crime. Instead, the over-representation of individuals with bipolar disorder in violent crime statistics is almost entirely attributable to concurrent substance abuse.

8 Sep 2010

Accipiter to nominate two individuals for election on Orchid Cellmark Board

Orchid Cellmark, Inc and Accipiter Capital Management, LLC today jointly announced that Orchid Cellmark and Accipiter (together with its affiliates) have reached an agreement in connection with the nomination of candidates for election to Orchid Cellmark's Board of Directors.

7 Sep 2010

Sigma-Aldrich Corporation announces global release of engineered mammalian cell lines

Sigma Life Science, the innovative biological products and research services business of Sigma-Aldrich Corporation, today announced the global release of a pioneering range of engineered mammalian cell lines.

2 Sep 2010

Forensic Fluids Laboratories ranked #167th on Inc. 500 fastest growing companies list

Forensic Fluids Laboratories Inc., a leading provider of oral fluid drug testing, today announced that the company was named to the prestigious Inc. 500 list, a list of the most entrepreneurial and fastest growing companies in the United States. Forensic Fluids Lab was number 167 on the general list, number 10 in health care, number 2 in Michigan, and number 20 for women-owned.

31 Aug 2010

UNT Health Science Center analyzes DNA from unidentified human remains

Center for Human Identification at the University of North Texas Health Science Center (UNTHSC) analyzes DNA from unidentified human remains for law enforcement organizations and medical examiners across the country in an attempt to put a name to a body or victim. The result, in many cases, is resolution for family members who have spent years wondering about the fate of their loved one.

24 Aug 2010

Castor bean genome may help prevent potential bioterrorism events

A research team co-led by scientists from the J. Craig Venter Institute (JCVI) and the Institute for Genome Sciences (IGS), University of Maryland School of Medicine, today published the sequence and analysis of the castor bean (Ricinus communis) genome in Nature Biotechnology.

23 Aug 2010

Female sexual offenders often unrecognised and underreported

Sexual offenses committed by women, while often unrecognised and underreported, have become the subject of a new book by a University of Montreal professor. Female Sexual Offenders: Theory, Assessment and Treatment (Wiley), is the first volume of its kind to provide an overview of female-perpetrated sexual abuse, statistics on the crime, as well as treatment options for offenders.

21 Aug 2010

JCI to pay $188 million for fraudulently obtaining confidential information of Hemispherx

Johannesburg Consolidated Investments Limited, a South African-based investment and finance company, was recently ordered to pay $188 million to Hemispherx Biopharma Inc. a biopharmaceutical company, for fraudulently obtaining confidential and proprietary information.

20 Aug 2010

Hemispherx Biopharma wins 6-year litigation battle against South African investment conglomerate JCI

Hemispherx Biopharma, Inc. today announced that its six-year litigation battle with the South African investment conglomerate JCI Ltd., traded on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange, ended in victory August 11, 2010, with the entry of a $188 million judgment in Hemispherx's favor and against Johannesburg Consolidated Investments (JCI) and former JCI officers R.B. Kebble and H.C. Buitendag.

19 Aug 2010

Orchid Cellmark awarded two-year extensions to forensic testing contracts

Orchid Cellmark Inc., a leading international provider of identity DNA testing and other forensic services, today announced it has been awarded two-year extensions to contracts previously awarded under the North West/South West and Wales regional forensic tender process in the U.K. Total estimated annual value of the combined contracts is approximately (U.S.) $10 million (at the current foreign exchange rate).

17 Aug 2010

SAS and EHFCN collaborate to promote awareness on healthcare fraud

SAS, the leader in business analytics software and services, will collaborate with the European Healthcare Fraud and Corruption Network (EHFCN) to spread information about detecting and preventing health care fraud. The collaboration will expose Belgium-based EHFCN to a broader European audience and identify SAS and the SAS® Fraud Framework for Health Care as a "privileged technical resource" for health care providers and insurers.

16 Aug 2010

ISW calls upon states to consider community-based programs as treatment for sex offenders

A recent analysis conducted by the Associated Press revealed that the 20 states with civil commitment laws will spend nearly $500 million in 2010 to incarcerate only 5,000 offenders. According to experts at the Boston-based Institute for Sexual Wellness (ISW), states concerned with how to pay for these programs over the long term should investigate community-based programs. Not only are such programs available at a fraction of the cost of civil commitment, but they are demonstrating high success in preventing recidivism.

13 Aug 2010

Forensic Laboratories' analytical test capable of detecting Ethyl Sulfate in saliva

Forensic Laboratories, a Denver-based laboratory specializing in toxicology services for drug and alcohol abuse, has announced the expansion of its oral fluid testing capabilities. The company is the first lab in the nation to develop an analytical test capable of detecting Ethyl Sulfate (EtS) in saliva, a chemical produced by the body after alcohol exposure. Forensic Laboratories' new test method will also simultaneously detect Ethyl Glucuronide (EtG).

6 Aug 2010

Akonni Biosystems receives patent for TruTip Extraction Kits

Akonni Biosystems, a developer of low-cost, multiplex molecular diagnostic testing systems, today announced that the United States Patent and Trademark Office issued a patent on July 20, 2010 for its method for rapidly purifying nucleic acids. U.S. Patent No. 7,759,112 entitled, "Apparatus, system, and method for purifying nucleic acids" protects the Company's use of its pioneering nucleic acid binding matrix when inserted into a pipette tip, tubing or cartridge for nucleic acid purification. The patent is owned by Akonni Biosystems.