Fiji, an idyllic island country, is 1,300 miles north of New Zealand. The nation\u2019s Police Force and Forensic Biology & DNA Laboratory serve the population of approximately 885,000 people spread across 300 islands.<\/p>\n
In 2014, Elizabeth Peters, a forensic biologist in the Forensic Science Services division, took on the task of modernizing and upgrading the Fiji DNA Laboratory to ensure the best tools were available to fight crime.<\/p>\n
In this video<\/a>, Peters describes the efficiencies the laboratory staff experienced when they upgraded their equipment, chemistry and processes to the newest technologies and guidelines available. By automating DNA extraction using Applied Biosystems Prepfiler chemistry<\/a>, implementing an advanced DNA quantification<\/a> system and increasing the capacity of their capillary electrophoresis systems, they have decreased their routine casework turnaround time from a full week to a day.<\/p>\n