Organization of Scientific Area Committees for Forensic Science ’s Post

AI Promises to Ramp Up PCR Tests for Faster DNA Diagnostics and Forensics Promising new inroads into critical DNA testing forecast by experts applying machine learning to DNA profiling

DNA – Interpretable v uninterpretable Labs agree in 66% of cases The ability to assign number of contributors is determinative in the DNA profile being either interpretable or uninterpretable. Determining the number of contributors to a DNA profile is an inherently subjective consideration. A 2023 study reviewed 2272 assessments of 29 DNA mixtures (provided as electropherograms) obtained from a pool of 849 subjects over 67 forensic laboratories. It was found that if two labs were given the same DNA mixture, they agreed that the mixture was suitable for comparison 66% of the time. Overall, it was found that the number of contributors was assigned incorrectly 21% of the time. The paper makes conclusions about the reliability of 5 and 6 contributor mixes. What this means to me as a scientist; It is commonly understood that assignment of contributors is variable and subjective. The findings of this paper are broadly consistent with what one may expect to see. Note for lawyers; Issues commonly relate to low level complex profiles.   In Australia, we also see contention in the decision to assign either 5 or 4 persons to a particular mixture. This decision makes for what is on one hand an uninterpretable profile and makes the profile interpretable.

Automated purification, combined with automated quantitation setup, normalization, and amplification setup can help simplify casework workflows, improve efficiency, and offer reliable results in forensic DNA analysis. Learn more about how this system can transform your lab operations. #HIDNP #thermofisheremp

A novel enzyme developed by Promega scientists solves a decades-old challenge in DNA forensics. The Reduced Stutter Polymerase will dramatically simplify mixed sample deconvolution and allow analysts to generate accurate profiles of multiple contributors. https://bit.ly/3zJiLT9

You can learn more about our latest innovation for forensics by watching the video below. #forensics

#qiagen#dpcr Working to make improvements in life possible is in our 6000 QIAGENers’s DNA. It means developing breakthrough solutions for academia , research and clinical diagnostic. It also means working day in, day out , from sample preparation to Next Generation Sequencing kits , to help solving crimes , identify bodies and fight against sexual assaults. Do you actually know that less than every 10 seconds , a QIAGEN solution is used anywhere in the world for forensic purposes ? Bringing value added solutions to police and investigation forces is also making improvements in life possible.

Automated purification, combined with automated quantitation setup, normalization, and amplification setup can help simplify casework workflows, improve efficiency, and offer reliable results in forensic DNA analysis. Learn more about how this system can transform your lab operations. #HIDNP #thermofisheremp #thermofisheremp

I've been very fortunate to read the chapter on MPS by the brilliant scientists and staff @ Cellmark Forensic Services. Honestly, in parts it reads like a Shakespearian tragedy at times, but in reality, it's a damning testament to the risks private companies have to take to be innovative, the sheer scale of the hoops they have to jump through just to get heard, and how much the system in England and Wales works actively against any innovation ever making it to operational forensic science. If a company like Cellmark struggle to make an innovation like this a reality in England and Wales whilst being a major player in the market operating in the only evidence type the police are interested in which is performed externally to them, there is little hope for anyone else seeking to do the same in areas other than DNA in England and Wales. This chapter is a must-read, particularly for policymakers in govt or those seeking to govern. I'm no DNA expert but as a general observer I do wonder: (1) Investment in RapidDNA killed off Key Forensic Services. Now CFS have invested in MPS and is finding it challenging. Are we witnessing "peak DNA" where the push for greater sensitivity has rendered it less efficient for day-to-day casework than a decade or more ago - yes we're detecting DNA in smaller quantities and in cases we wouldn't have been able to 10+ years ago but at the expense of productivity dropping as scientists have to grapple with more and more complex mixtures. Maybe AI will help, or maybe it will make things worse, who knows? Having to innovate further to deal with the consequence of more complex mixtures arising from a previous innovation pushing the sensitivity limits, begs the question who drove this push for greater sensitivity really and was this not predictable from the outset? Are there lessons to be learned from that? (2) Whilst the police control the pursestrings how can there ever be room for early adoption of new technologies which are always hideously expensive by default, may only be applicable in a small % of cases but may be the only tool to provide any solution to that minority of cases? There is simply no way for a novel application to compete with old/existing technologies that have become cheap by comparison even if that comparison is utterly flawed. For those too young to remember, when DNA came out first it was hideously expensive, only applicable in a small number of cases and was the only tool to provide a solution in that minority of cases.... The opening paragraphs in the chapter are an excellent history lesson and the question for policymakers and those seeking to govern us should be (I'm looking at you The Labour Party) - what's the difference between now and then?

"DNA Barcoding : Methods and Protocols", just published. - Includes cutting-edge methods and protocols - Provides step-by-step detail essential for reproducible results - Contains key notes and implementation advice from the experts

Forensic science has come a long way from the first fingerprint to DNA profiling. It’s not just about catching culprits anymore; it’s about getting the details right, down to the last molecule. Techniques like electrophoresis and PCR continue to be essential in unlocking the truth. Read more here: https://lnkd.in/gK8sx6-D #forensicscience #DNAProfiling #coleparmer