NEC is currently working on a next-generation suitcase-sized DNA analyzer. Which it claims will be able to process disaster or crime-scene samples in just 25 minutes.
The company plans to release the device globally in 2014, and sell it for roughly 10 million yen, i.e. about $120,000. As the number of DNA databases is rapidly growing worldwide, NEC will output samples for quick matching.
"At first we will target investigative organizations, like police," spokeswoman Marita Takahashi told PCWorld. "We will also push its use on victims of natural disasters, to quickly match samples from siblings and parents."
The company also hopes to use research and software from facial matching and mature fingerprint technology, which have already been put to use in everyday devices such as ATMs and smartphones.
According to NEC, the need for faster and less expensive DNA testing became obvious last year, after the Tohoku earthquake and tsunami devastated much of Japan's northeast coastline. Authorities performed nearly 20,000 samples at the time. NEC also pointed to expanding databases such as the U.S.' Combined DNA Index System (CODIS) and a Japanese database of DNA samples.
The company further explained that it intends to make the device usable even for people with minimal training, requiring only a small blood sample or a cotton swab. The device will reportedly be roughly the size of a suitcase, weighing about 35 kilograms (about 77 pounds), and measuring 850 x 552 x 240 (about 33.46 x 21.73 x 240 inches). The device will run on a 12V power source.
According to the company, it will be able to complete a three-stage analysis process using a "lab on a chip" process, i.e. technology that recreates lab processes on chip-sized components. The basic steps for such analysis include extracting DNA from samples, amplifying that DNA for analysis, and separating the different DNA strands.
The current version of NEC's analyzer needs roughly one hour to complete all three tasks, but the company aims to lower than time to as little as 25 minutes.
NEC's partners in the development and testing of the analyzer include U.S. biotechnology company Promega, as well as a police science research institute in Japan.
