University of British Columbia researchers have developed a new way to extract DNA from small or heavily contaminated samples that could help both forensic investigators and molecular biologists.

Extracting DNA by conventional methods has proven challenging when there are only trace amounts of DNA or when the source sample has been contaminated or compromised.

"We've been able to extract DNA from samples that would otherwise not produce enough clean DNA for analysis," said UBC Biophysics Prof. Andre Marziali in a news release Monday.

"We've found that DNA responds to electric fields in a way that is very different from other molecules," Marziali said in the release.

"By exploiting this unique property, we were able to extract high-quality DNA from a highly contaminated [sample]," Marziali said.

The team also successfully tested the technique on material provided by the RCMP.

DNA — or deoxyribonucleic acid — is present in the cells of all plants and animals and contains each individual's unique genetic code. Because DNA analysis can provide precise identification more reliably than fingerprints, it is often used in police investigations and has many other applications.

The new technique developed at the Vancouver university is being commercialized through Boreal Genomics, a UBC spin-off company, and is expected to have broad applications, from basic life-science research to forensic sample analysis, bio-defence and pathogen detection for food safety and clinical diagnostics, Monday's release said.

The research team — which included scientists from UBC and the B.C. Cancer Agency's Genome Science Centre — has detailed the technique in the Aug. 10 edition of the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Science.