Thunder Bay DNA lab involved in Amelia Earhart investigation

 
A Thunder Bay forensic DNA lab was thrust in the national spotlight for its participation in the search for famed aviator Amelia Earhart.

Molecular World has been working with samples recovered on a South Pacific Island by Richard Gillespie of the International Group for Historic Aircraft Recovery from Delaware.

The lab was working to extract DNA from glass and makeup found on Nikumaroro Island, 3,000 kilometres south of Hawaii. Earhart and navigator Fred Noonan disappeared somewhere over the Pacific Ocean in July 1937 in an attempt fly around the world.

The tests were inconclusive because the DNA from the samples were contaminated during collection.

“If you went into your garden and picked some dirt, that's what the samples looked like,” said Curtis Hildebrandt, a Molecular World analyst and reporting officer. The lab has been working on the samples for two years.

The samples were submitted to different chemical washes which break down biological material and specifically target DNA.

Hildebrandt said there's a possibility more samples may come in from the Gillespie ground when they mount another expedition in 2010.

Since its establishment in 2003, Molecular World has gained a stellar reputation for its work on cold murder cases and identifying the remains of war dead. The company does not disclose who their clients are unless they are requested to do so.

Molecular World was recently purchased by Warnex Inc. of Montreal, a life sciences company which has been involved in DNA identification and analytical services for the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industry for many years.

“We were very impressed by their technology and ability,” said Warnex President/CEO Mark Busgang, “so it's a good fit for us and part of our goal of expanding into the overall DNA testing market.”

Molecular World's name will be changed to Warnex Pro-DNA.