SeqLL Inc. announced the establishment of a two-year Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) with the U.S. Department of Justice's Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). Under this CRADA, SeqLL and the FBI Laboratory Division (FBI LD) will seek to evaluate and determine the forensic capabilities of direct RNA sequencing using SeqLL's True Single Molecule Sequencing (tSMS®) platform. The FBI LD and SeqLL will collaborate with a goal of producing an assay for forensic body fluid identification, without compromising traditional STR or DNA sequence analysis.

This agreement is among the first times the FBI is utilizing the CRADA mechanism to further develop laboratory capabilities. CRADAs enable the sharing of resources and expertise for collaborative research that advances the FBI mission. ‘Body fluid identification can provide investigative context and have probative value.