Erase Sperm Isolation Kit
Definition
An immunomagnetic sperm-cell isolation system using paramagnetic beads coated with antibodies against sperm-specific surface antigens. Achieves greater than 99% sperm recovery with less than 1% female-fraction carry-over under optimal conditions.
- Method
- Immunomagnetic separation
- Target
- Sperm-specific surface antigens
- Reported recovery
- Over 99% sperm recovery under optimal conditions
- Reported carry-over
- Under 1% female-fraction carry-over under optimal conditions
Common questions
How does immunomagnetic sperm isolation improve on standard differential extraction?+
Standard differential extraction relies on selective lysis of epithelial cells before sperm cells, which can leave residual female DNA mixed in. Antibody-coated magnetic beads instead physically capture sperm cells directly, giving cleaner separation from the female fraction.
Do the kit's published performance figures apply to every casework sample?+
The recovery and carry-over figures are achieved under optimal conditions. Degraded, low-count or aged samples can perform below these figures, so validation on casework-representative samples is still needed.
Related terms
- Differential Extraction
- A two-step DNA extraction procedure used when a stain contains both sperm cells and non-sperm epithelial cells. The first step lyses epithelial...
- DTT (Dithiothreitol)
- A reducing agent that cleaves the disulphide bonds in the sperm protamine matrix, allowing proteinase K and SDS to lyse the sperm...
- Female Fraction
- The lysate produced by the first (no-DTT) lysis step of differential extraction. Contains DNA from epithelial cells and other non-sperm cellular material...
- Laser Capture Microdissection (LCM)
- A UV-laser instrument technique for physically isolating individual cells or clusters of cells from a stained slide into a capture tube, without...
- Male Fraction (Sperm Fraction)
- The lysate produced by the second (DTT + proteinase K) lysis step after washing the sperm pellet. Ideally contains predominantly the suspect's...
- Protamine
- Small arginine-rich proteins that replace histones in the nuclei of spermatozoa during spermatogenesis, producing a hyper-compacted chromatin structure approximately six times denser...