Gentueri, a Wisconsin based corporation that manufactures DNA collection devices for research and medical purposes, requires assessment of their Gentueri CollectEject™ Touch DNA swabs, Gentueri CollectEject™ Oral swabs, and Gentueri GenDry™ CE pouches. The purpose of this experiment was to validate DNA collection and storage devices created by Gentueri. The devices that were validated include Gentueri CollectEject™ Touch DNA swabs, Gentueri CollectEject™ Oral swabs, and Gentueri GenDry™ CE pouches. Throughout the experiment, I was able to answer the question how much time will pass before swab desiccation and degeneration occurs after saturation of Gentueri CollectEject™ Touch DNA swabs and Gentueri CollectEject™ Oral swabs while storing them in the Gentueri GenDry™ CE pouches. Swab desiccation was measured by weighing of swabs after storage for different time intervals and swab degradation was measured by extraction of DNA after different time intervals  followed by DNA quantification via qPCR. These results can be used as product validation for Gentueri to confirm the efficacy of their product. 

Anna would like to thank Professor Erik Hall for his contribution and mentorship to her work. Erik helped organize meetings with Gentueri and assisted in all parts of the research process. He made an effort to teach Anna every step of the way to ensure that she was properly understanding her research processes and how it can apply to her future working as a Forensic DNA Analyst. Erik's commitment to being a great mentor to all of his research students was crucial to their success and it is extremely appreciated!