On July 14, the Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs’ Crisis and Support Centre provided to the General Prosecutor of Ukraine a mobile laboratory dedicated to the rapid analysis of DNA for the purposes of identifying human remains. This step is part of the support France is giving to the Ukrainian authorities, to help them identify their victims following the aggression by Russia.
France provided to the General Prosecutor of Ukraine a mobile laboratory dedicated to the rapid analysis of DNA for the purposes of identifying human remains
The gift of the mobile DNA laboratory to Ukraine follows on from the mission made up of two legal medical experts and fifteen police officers from the Institut de Recherche Criminelle de la Gendarmerie Nationale (The Criminal Research Investigation Institute of the French National Gendarmerie – IRCGN), equipped with a mobil’DNA vehicle of their own and deployed on the ground in April 2022 for several weeks, in response to a request from the Ukrainian authorities.
The mobil’DNA in question was developed jointly by the IRCGN and the company TRACIP, a subsidiary of the Deveryware group, which is one of Europe’s experts in investigative technologies and services for global security. TRACIP is France’s top private laboratory in the field of digital investigations.
This movable resource is without parallel anywhere in the world when it comes to quickly performing genetic analysis on a large quantity of biological samples. In response to the urgency of the situation in Ukraine, it was developed in record time – just 6 weeks. Efficient at quickly identifying multiple victims, whether acts of terrorism, accidents or natural disasters, the laboratory has numerous advantages: speed of deployment and analysis, autonomy and reliability.
Speed
The ability to get results quickly plays a major role in situations such as military conflicts, natural disasters and major accidents, in which the laboratory is used. Unlike ordinary DNA analysis procedures, it only takes two hours for mobil’DNA to obtain genetic profiles of the first 21 samples submitted for analysis – and that includes the equipment start-up and calibration stages. After that, 21 new test results are obtained every 30 minutes.
Autonomy
The lab makes it possible to perform the task of identification on the ground, without having to travel to a static laboratory that might be a long way away. With its fully autonomous power supply, it has a built-in full-cycle process, from sample to result. What’s more, the testing equipment can be moved by air if necessary. The equipment can also be used autonomously inside a suitably equipped laboratory or building, before later being moved.
Reliability
The operational excellence of the lab is based, in particular, on its patented mechanism and on the next-generation swab designed by the IRCGN. The mechanism has been tested numerous times, including during Storm Alex (in the French Alpes-Maritimes region in 2020), the Nice attack (in 2016) and the German Wings plane crash (in the French Alpes du Sud region in 2015).
The mobil’DNA is an integral part of the range of solutions that Deveryware is developing for the benefit of judicial investigations. Having been a partner of the French Interior Ministry and Justice Ministry for several years, the group is making available to investigators from the French Police, Gendarmerie and the Customs service tools that cover digital criminology, geolocation and data analysis. The Deveryware group also offers solutions in the field of cybersecurity, the combating of fraud, crisis management and emergency communications.
About Deveryware
Founded in 2003, Deveryware is a leader in the field of investigative technologies and services for global security, and is committed to enhancing the security of countries, businesses and populations through innovative digital technologies and solutions that provide high added value. The group’s solutions make it possible to speed up investigations, analyse evidence, provide security in the face of risks and undertake crisis management.
The products offered by the Deveryware group, together with its subsidiaries TRACIP and Crisotech, cover judicial and digital investigations, real-time geolocation platforms, cybersecurity, language analysis, the combating of fraud, crisis management and emergency communications. With a turnover of 41 M€ in 2021 (meaning that it rose 7-fold in 10 years) and 160 members of staff, the group has a presence in Europe, Africa, and North and South America. It attaches great importance to Research and Development and invests 10% of its turnover in R&D.
Photos: Deveryware
Its values of respect for private life and its knowledge, stretching back over a long period, of the Security market make it a trusted partner that is acclaimed by numerous key players, such as the departments of the Prime Minister, the French Interior Ministry, Justice Ministry, and Economy and Finances Ministry, and indeed private firms such as Total, Axa and Veolia, SNCF, RTE.
Focused on customer satisfaction, Deveryware has been rolling out a Quality-Environment approach since 2012. It has received ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 certifications, along with the label RSE/Toumaï by Lucie. The group was named Champion of the Systematic Paris-Region Division in 2020, and made it into the Top 250 French software publishers, the FW500, the Truffle 100, and was named one of the 500 champions of growth. Crisotech won a gold medal at the Security Trophies 2021 awards and TRACIP has earnt the label ‘Expert Cyber’.
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