The proteomic mass spectrometry (MS) body fluid assay described in this report is designed to detect multiple blood, saliva, and semen marker peptides using high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) followed by multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) MS, employing an AB SCIEX Eksigent HPLC and 6500 QTRAP mass spectrometer respectively.
This implementation strategy was developed by the Forensic Laboratory Needs Technology Working Group (FLN-TWG). The FLN-TWG is an activity administered under the National Institute of Justice (NIJ) Forensic Technology Center of Excellence (FTCoE) program. The assay described is unbiased, in that no prior knowledge of a sample is necessary before testing because each sample is tested for all marker proteins. The assay is designed for high-throughput sample processing (~72 samples/day). On a volume basis, detection of each body fluid is in the nanoliter range for both neat and mock forensic samples. Sensitivity is reported to be at least 10 times greater than other presumptive or confirmatory methods, including chemical, immunochemical, enzymatic, and messenger RNA (mRNA) profiling. At the writing of this report, the described assay is undergoing validation at the New York City Office of Chief Medical Examiner (NYC OCME). Once validated, standard operating procedures will be made publicly available through the NYC OCME website and publication in a peer-reviewed journal. Validation of menstrual blood and vaginal fluid assays will follow. 2 tables and a list of resources