forensicGEM Universal was developed specifically for the demands of forensic casework, where sample volumes are often small, material is frequently degraded, and the extract must be clean enough for STR analysis without further purification.

The kit uses a temperature-driven, single-tube extraction process. The 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘤GEM thermophilic proteinase activates at 75°C, lysing cells and removing nucleoproteins from the DNA. At 95°C it is destroyed, leaving the DNA largely single-stranded and ready for downstream applications including STR typing, SNP analysis, and quantitative PCR.

Critically, this is achieved without SDS, DTT, mercaptoethanol, or chaotropic salts. These are common components of conventional forensic extraction methods, and all of them can inhibit the downstream reactions you are trying to run. Removing them from the process is not simply a matter of cleanliness; it directly reduces the risk of partial or failed profiles.

The kit includes three proprietary buffers formulated for different sample types:
• saliva and buccal swabs,
• blood and bloodstains, and
• solid tissue including hair follicles.

For tissue samples, Histosolv is added to the master mix and activates at 52°C before the main proteinase step.

Supported sample types include liquid blood, blood on FTA cards and storage cards, bloodstains, buccal swabs, saliva stains, cigarette butts, human tissue, and hair. Extraction runs in under 15 minutes for 1 to 96 samples.

Cigarette butts are a particularly challenging substrate due to tar and phenolic inhibitors: the gentle enzymatic lysis extracts the DNA without releasing them into the extract.