Bones recovered for forensic analysis may be sampled for DNA analysis. It is important to clean and sterilize the bone prior to collecting the specimen for analysis.
Specimen handling:
(1) The bone is cleaned of debris, soft tissue and bone marrow.
(2) The bone is then rinsed with an alcohol solution (see below).
(3) The specimen is kept in a freezer, preferably -86°C.
(4) On the day of analysis the bone is recleaned, washed in alcohol, then rinsed with 0.5% sodium hypochlorite.
(5) The bone is then dried with a paper towel and then placed in a 56°C oven overnight in an open autoclave bag.
(6) Bone powder is prepared by milling the bone in liquid nitrogen.
(7) The milled bone is washed in water, soaked in 0.5% sodium hypochlorite for a few minutes, rinsed and then dried.
Alcohol solution to sterilize bone:
(1) ideally 95% reagent alcohol for molecular biology
(2) if reagent alcohol is not available, then a commercial clear spirit of 40% or greater can be used. This may be necessary in an emergency or disaster when normal supplies are not available.
