2024 was a big year for the biotechnology industry, fraught with disasters, advancements, layoffs, and policy change. As the year comes to a close, This week and next will include a review of a few notable events that happened this year and what can be learnt from them for years to come.

This Fall, a forensic lab in Hennepin county examining genetic data from crime scenes made the horrifying discovery that foreign DNA invaded had their samples, compromising the results of their tests, and they had no idea when.

The lab runs multiple samples at once in a plastic plate that holds almost 100 samples at once, which each contain a control to test for accuracy. In September, a control detected a DNA profile in a space where no DNA was supposed to be. Looking into their previous samples, the researchers found the profile over and over again, meaning even more tests were compromised.

The lab ran several tests to identify the source of the mysterious profile, and detected the profile even in tests with no added DNA. One variable was consistent: the plastic container that held the samples. It must have been contaminated with foreign DNA during manufacturing.

This information was catastrophic, and forced the company to reanalyze every profile they ran since 2016, an effort that lasted 79 days and entailed 50,000 tests, just to find the select few cases impacted by the contamination. The crime lab reported the news to the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office and will release a statement by the end of the year including a list of every case that may have been impacted by the contamination, but determined that less than ten criminal cases need to be retested. Impacted cases that do not need to be retested may be closed cases with otherwise sufficient evidence. “There is not a possibility that this DNA profile falsely identified anyone, though,” asserted Allison Dolenc, a DNA section supervisor at the forensic lab. Experts have applauded the lab for their diligence in reporting, testing, and communicating throughout this disaster, especially as none of the trial results were compromised. 

Although the forensic lab’s response to the disaster was admirable, the contamination event reflects a need for greater regulation and quality checks in the company that supplies the plastic plates and DNA analysis machines. Once the contamination was reported, other labs found the profile in their own data, and the Hennepin county forensics lab terminated their relationship with the company that produces the plastic containers and DNA analysis machine. It is only because of control tests that the contamination was identified, reiterating their importance in ensuring accuracy and reliability in technology.

Looking for my usual articles about innovations in biotechnology or climate science, I stumbled across an article covering the contamination and couldn’t help myself from reading on. Initially, I didn’t think I’d include it on the website, but I thought it would be cool to assemble some of this years’ biotech news because it includes valuable lessons. It’s far from everything that happened in the industry over the past twelve months, but that list would be a bit beyond the scope of this site.

The crime lab’s actions here were commendable in their swift and thorough response, but I’m a little concerned about how long the contamination went undetected for. Although it does not seem to have changed the outcomes of any criminal trials, the fact that the DNA profile infiltrated the tests for years, and across multiple different labs is terrifying. If it took so long for this profile to be detected, imagine how many other instances could have gone unnoticed in similar contexts. Why did the controls not pick up on the stray DNA until this September, instead of the first test it was present in? It seems like more checks should be put in place, especially on the manufacturer’s side, to ensure this sort of thing never happens again.

I wanted to include the other two news stories with this one all in one post, but for the sake of time, I decided to divide them into two weeks. Next week we’ll hear about another biotech disaster, defrauding millions from the NIH, and a success in policy for GM corn. Stay tuned to learn with me!

https://phys.org/news/2024-12-piece-plastic-dna-crime-lab.html 

Quote from Allison Dolenc – https://youtu.be/l-lPidI3n70?si=nEMUqL8OpNgUUSky&t=144