Reston, Va. (June 2015) – Parabon® NanoLabs, Inc. (Parabon) proudly announces that the “Face of Litter” public service campaign, conceived by Ogilvy & Mather Hong Kong and which features Parabon®’s Snapshot™ DNA Phenotyping technology, has been nominated for a Cannes Lions Innovation Award. As part of the annual Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, the Innovation Award nominations are bestowed on organizations providing a unique combination of creativity, data and technology innovation for game-changing applications across the globe.
Snapshot™, a new type of forensic DNA analysis software that accurately predicts the physical appearance and ancestry of an unknown person from a DNA sample, and recently featured in the “Face of Litter” campaign, was originally developed to aid law enforcement investigators in generating leads in cold cases and to identify unknown remains. The “Face of Litter” initiative was created to make Hong Kong citizens realize that littering is no longer an anonymous crime and to encourage them to take personal responsibility for the city’s littering problem. Snapshot™’s ability to generate investigative leads, narrow suspect lists, identify unknown remains and, now, reveal the everyday litterbug, demonstrates the effectiveness of using DNA phenotyping to help identify criminals and victims, past and present.
Starting with biological evidence found at a crime scene that leads to a DNA extract, Snapshot™ produces a detailed report and composite profile that includes eye color, skin color, hair color, freckling, face morphology and detailed biogeographic ancestry. Armed with this scientifically objective description, law enforcement officials can conduct investigations more efficiently and close cases more quickly.
Watch a video about Snapshot™ to learn more about how it is utilized to help the law enforcement community with active and cold cases.
Cannes Lions Innovation is an annual two-day event that takes place in Cannes, France. The technologies and campaigns nominated for awards focus on the intersection of data, technology and creative ideas. Parabon representatives will give a Snapshot™ technology presentation to judges in Cannes on Wednesday, June 24. Awards will be announced on Friday, June 26.
About Parabon NanoLabs, Inc.:
Parabon NanoLabs is a vertically integrated DNA technology company that develops next-generation forensic and therapeutic products, which leverage the enormous power of DNA. Staffed by a uniquely qualified team of scientists and technologists, with expertise ranging from bioinformatics and chemistry to computer science and pharmacology, Parabon is bringing to market revolutionary new products and services made possible by recent advances in DNA sequencing, analysis and manufacturing technologies.
