Developmental validation of the AmpFℓSTR® NGM SElect™ PCR Amplification Kit: A next-generation STR multiplex with the SE33 locus

The AmpFℓSTR® NGM SElect™ PCR Amplification Kit is a new 17-plex STR genotyping kit designed for use primarily in forensic casework analysis. The kit was designed to be a counterpart to the AmpFℓSTR® NGM™ Kit for laboratories wishing to add the SE33 locus to the new European Standard Set of STR loci. The NGM SElect Kit shares the same primer sets for 16 common loci with the NGM Kit (D10S1248, D3S1358, vWA, D16S539, D2S1338, amelogenin, D8S1179, D21S11, D18S51, D19S433, TH01, FGA, D22S1045, D2S441, D1S1656 and D12S391), with additional primers for the SE33 locus. Developmental validation studies followed the Scientific Working Group on DNA Analysis Methods (SWGDAM) guidelines for STR kit manufacturers and tested several critical areas of kit performance including a sensitivity series, DNA mixtures and inhibited samples. The studies demonstrated that the NGM SElect Kit provides equivalent overall performance to the NGM Kit, but with even greater discriminatory power due to the inclusion of the highly informative SE33 locus.