Sponsored by SNA International
Rapid DNA provides speed, but its true value emerges when that speed is governed by a program built on quality, standards, and oversight to deliver actionable intelligence to investigators. Rapid DNA has been available for several years, and crime labs and law enforcement agencies successfully use it to generate DNA profiles in casework and mass fatality incidents. The full potential of the technology can only be realized when those DNA profiles are seamlessly connected to forensic laboratories, databases, and investigators in real time through a coordinated and robust Rapid DNA program.
Why Rapid DNA Programs Matter
With recent updates to the FBI’s Quality Assurance Standards (QAS), Rapid DNA can play an even broader operational role in supporting investigations, streamlining identifications, and delivering timely intelligence. Yet, there’s an important truth: you don’t simply flip a switch and have a Rapid DNA program. To succeed, a Rapid DNA program must:
- Align with organizational needs and capabilities,
- Comply with established standards,
- Safeguard quality,
- Maintain reliable performance.
All of this requires careful planning and the right tools. This is where DNAConnect® makes the difference.
Developed by SNA International, DNAConnect® is a secure, CJIS-compliant platform that manages Rapid DNA programs with automated features. It maximizes efficiency, ensures laboratory oversight, and turns Rapid DNA results into actionable investigative leads. For analysts, it provides powerful, automated search and match capabilities, Reachback support, and automated match notifications. For investigators, it accelerates information flow from weeks to hours.
How DNAConnect® Helps
DNAConnect® provides a framework that makes Rapid DNA programs operationally sound, efficient, and reliable. DNAConnect® supports Rapid DNA programs using state and local database replicas and those that will search directly in CODIS.
Key features include:
- Secure, CJIS-compliant data management
- Compatibility with ANDE and Thermo Fisher Rapid DNA instruments
- Automated searching, likelihood ratio–based matching, and kinship analysis
- Oversight of operators, instruments, and consumables
- Reachback alerts for analyst review of flagged profiles
- Automated hit notifications to investigators and analysts
A Typical DNAConnect® Workflow
- Profile Generation – A Rapid DNA instrument produces a DNA profile.
- Upload – Data is automatically, without human intervention, transferred to DNAConnect® .
- Search or Reachback – The system automatically searches databases or alerts analysts for profile review through the Reachback module.
- Algorithmic Matching – DNAConnect® ® applies a likelihood ratio–based algorithm that accounts for allele frequency, drop-in/dropout, and mutation rates—going beyond simple stringency matching.
- Automated Alerts – Investigators and labs are immediately notified of potential hits via email or text, ensuring timely action.
Scaling a State Rapid DNA Program with DNAConnect®
DNAConnect® is designed to grow with a laboratory’s needs, making it possible to roll out Rapid DNA programs in a phased, controlled way. A laboratory can start small—connecting one or two instruments—and scale up to multi-site, multi-agency programs. A state laboratory, for example, might begin by deploying instruments to satellite laboratory locations. Analysts can test and evaluate the workflow and refine procedures before expanding further to new locations or adding partners with existing Rapid DNA technology.
With DNAConnect® , the lab can:
- Easily connect additional sites through the CJIS network
- Add instruments from other jurisdictions into one searchable system
- Manage data, reporting, operators, and sites through an encrypted, CJIS-compliant interface
- Maintain oversight and compliance with recordkeeping to meet quality or accreditation requirements
As the program grows, the laboratory may choose to extend its accreditation scope to allow Rapid DNA profiles to be uploaded and searched in CODIS. This decision carries risk: to conform with the FBI QAS, instrument locations and operations must fall under the laboratory’s ISO/IEC 17025 accreditation umbrella. Managing non-employees and external sites under that umbrella adds substantial work and oversight for the laboratory, which is why some may elect not to pursue this path. Instead, they may opt for the proven A-Swab/B-Swab method and search replicas of state and local DNA databases for investigative leads. With its built-in features to help laboratories manage operations and its powerful matching engine, DNAConnect® supports quality in either type of program.
Supporting Disaster Victim Identification (DVI)
In DVI operations, time is critical, and DNAConnect® ® can play a critical role in expediting the process. DNAConnect® enables laboratories already using Rapid DNA routinely to quickly pivot and support a DVI response. Rapid DNA instruments can quickly generate reference DNA profiles from family members or personal effects. DNAConnect® manages those results by enabling powerful kinship searches against unidentified victim profiles. Because the system automates searching and can issue immediate notifications of potential kinship matches, action can be taken on leads faster. Combined with Reachback support from the laboratory, DNAConnect® ensures that kinship-based identifications in mass fatality events are handled both efficiently and with necessary scientific rigor, providing families with answers sooner.
In one particular natural disaster, Rapid DNA instruments were deployed to a temporary morgue and family assistance center. DNA profiles generated in the field were uploaded into DNAConnect® , where they were securely shared with analysts nationwide. While the profiles were produced on-site, the complex kinship calculations were performed remotely by experts using DNAConnect® ’s tools. This setup enabled investigators on-site to receive swift notifications of potential matches while ensuring that complex kinship analyses were confirmed by qualified forensic scientists.
Realizing the Full Potential of Rapid DNA
Rapid DNA is not just about generating DNA profiles faster; it’s also about using them for maximum impact by delivering investigative leads in hours. This requires more than instruments alone. DNAConnect® provides the framework to make this possible, helping laboratories manage a complex program of people and technology while ensuring results are reliable, actionable, and fast.
About SNA International
DNAConnect® was developed by SNA International, a company with decades of experience supporting forensic laboratories and identification programs worldwide. DNAConnect® was developed by forensic science professionals who understand both the scientific and operational demands of DNA programs and the need for reliable DNA profile management software. To see how DNAConnect® works and how it can strengthen your Rapid DNA program, visit the DNAConnect® website at https://rapidDNAConnect.com.