The Forensic Technologies Center of Excellence (FTCoE) evaluated the performance and features of Implen's NanoPhotometer, a portable UV-VIS spectrophotometer intended to determine the time since deposition (TSD) of bloodstains at a crime scene.
The evaluation demonstrated the NanoPhotometer's potential to obtain an assessment of the time since deposition of dried blood stains on-site and to simultaneously obtain confirmation of the presence of blood and recover autosomal short tandem repeat (STR) profiles of the donor of the stain from the same bloodstain extract. The use of the NanoPhotometer with 1nm interval measurements allowed for differentiation of blood stains that differed in age by minutes, hours, and days. This instrument could also be used for other purposes in the laboratory, since it has additional functional applications, such as concentration determinations, multi-wavelength scans, absorbance measurements, kinetic assays, and standard curves. A minimal amount of training is needed to operate the NanoPhotometer, such that it can be operated by both technical and non-technical personnel. There are no significant health or safety issues in the operation of this instrument. 3 figures and 1 table