M-Vac System

Description

M-Vac Systems focuses on the collection of forensic DNA. The technology supports many microscopic particle collection markets including those involved in the collection of cells, pathogens, chemicals, allergens, particulates, and/or other microscopic particles.  Current and potential markets include forensics, food safety, defense, environmental, laboratory, and clean room industries. Real life and benchtop data has shown that the M-Vac System is extremely effective in collecting microscopic particles from a variety of surfaces.

 
Why M-Vac:

Why is the M-Vac being used in forensics, Why does it collect more DNA material, Where does it work well and Why can it be used with confidence? Those are all good questions and here are the answers.

Casework – Has the M-Vac been used on casework?  Yes, the M-Vac has moved forward many cases with inconclusive or weak DNA results. Stalled/cold cases now have a another chance.

How It Works – The M-Vac is a wet-vacuum DNA collection system. How wet-vacuum sampling or collection technology works is discussed in this section. Includes a basic demonstration of how to use the M-Vac.

What Others Say – The independent publications and news stories from customers and industry professionals are valuable.  They increase everyone’s ability to understand the capability of a new technology like the M-Vac.

Research – What research has been done or is currently being done with the M-Vac?

Validations – This section outlines public and private validation work that has been shared with us.

Where It Works – How does the M-Vac change where DNA can be collected?  The M-Vac works well on many evidence types and in areas where collection hasn’t been an option in the past.  This section lists evidence substrates where the M-Vac System has achieved success.  Many of these have been touch DNA scenarios.

Testimonials – A collection of quotes and meaningful comments made by customers and industry professionals.

Who Benefits – How will collecting more DNA help?  This question and others are addressed from the perspective of Detectives, Crime Scene Investigators, Forensic Scientists and Prosecuting Attorneys.

Forensic DNA Collection FAQ – A quick reference for common questions.

M-Vac System Flyer – A concise information flyer to introduce the product and supplies.

We all know that even the best DNA processing equipment cannot amplify DNA that is not recovered in the sampling or collection process.  The M-Vac helps by simply collecting more DNA.

What if traditional collection methods have already been used on an item?  The M-Vac is a valuable tool in those scenarios and can often result inconclusive profiles even after traditional methods have been used. It gives cases a second chance.

For example, in an independent verification, after swabbing a saliva stain on cotton fabric, the M-Vac was still able to collect 22X more saliva DNA.  This shows that not only does the swab leave a significant amount of DNA material behind, but also that the M-Vac System is more capable of collecting DNA material from porous surfaces.

The M-Vac System is also known as a wet-vacuum sampling device, a vacuum-assisted instrument, a forensics vacuum, a DNA recovery system, and other descriptive terms in literature and news articles.  The M-Vac System is also effective in sampling meat or produce for pathogens, checking environments for bacterial contamination and assuring the absence of biohazards in biodefense.

 
M-Vac System:

The M-Vac System includes the M-Vac (M-Vac 100 and 200), the support equipment case (SEC 100 and 150), the sterile collection solution (SRS 1000), extension tubing (TB 05 thru 40), and a concentration filter (Filter 100).

The core of the technology is the M-Vac.  It is a wet-vacuum DNA collection tool. It is sterile, hand-held, and disposable.  It performs the collection process on the evidence surface.

The SEC provides the power to the collection system.  It is a durable item that will last for years and it supplies the M-Vac with vacuum and pressurized solution.
 
The sterile collection solution is designed for the collection and suspension of cellular material.
 
The extension tubing tethers the M-Vac to the SEC.  It is sterile, durable, kink-resistant, and allows the M-Vac to move away from the SEC to do collections.
 
The concentration filter is used to remove the liquid from the sample and concentrate the cellular material onto a filter.  Occasionally, the sample will include unwanted debris.  The sample may be pre-filtered before doing the final filter.

The M-Vac harness (MVH) allows the technician collecting the DNA to have a hand free to manipulate the evidence when doing a collection.

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Video

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