An Introduction to Forensic Genetics potx

[...]... international humanitarian organisations and forensic service providers Adrian Linacre is a Senior Lecturer at the Centre for Forensic Science at the University of Strathclyde where his main areas of teaching are aspects of forensic biology, population genetics and human identification His research areas include the use of non-human DNA in forensic science and the mechanisms behind the transfer and persistence... the scope and scale of DNA analysis in forensic science is set to continue expanding for the foreseeable future Forensic genetics The work of the forensic geneticist will vary widely depending on the laboratory and country that they work in, and can involve the analysis of material recovered from a scene of crime, paternity testing and the identification of human remains In some cases, it can even be... organizations one person will be responsible for collecting the evidence, the biological and genetic analysis of samples, and ultimately presenting the results to a court of law However, the trend in many larger organizations is for individuals to be An Introduction to Forensic Genetics C 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd W Goodwin, A Linacre and S Hadi JWBK181-01 JWBK181/Goodwin August 3, 2007 19:15 2 INTRODUCTION. .. JWBK181/Goodwin August 3, 2007 19:15 REFERENCES 5 forensic science As a result, the accreditation of both laboratories and individuals is an increasingly important issue in forensic science The combination of technical advances, high levels of standardization and quality control have led to forensic DNA analysis being recognized as a robust and reliable forensic tool worldwide References 1 Jeffreys, A.J et... Medicine and DNA profiling He is a physician by training and practised forensic pathology for a number of years in Pakistan before undertaking a PhD in Forensic Genetics Following this he worked at the Department of Molecular Biology Louisiana State University as a member of the Louisiana Healthy Aging Study group He has acted as a consultant to forensic service providers in the USA and Pakistan His current... STR polymorphisms There are thousands of STRs that can potentially be used for forensic analysis STR loci are spread throughout the genome including the 22 autosomal chromosomes and the X and Y sex chromosomes They have a core unit of between 1 and 6 bp and the repeats typically range from 50 to 300 bp The majority of the loci that are used in forensic genetics are tetranucleotide repeats, which have... by only 1.2 % [8] and insertions and deletions in both human and chimpanzee genomes account for another 3.5 % divergence [8, 9] This means that we share 95 % of our DNA with chimps! Modern humans have a much more recent common history, which has been dated using genetic and fossil data to around 150 000 years ago [10, 11] In this limited time, nucleotide substitutions have led to an average of one... adhesive tape is an alternative method for collecting epithelial cells [11] Liquid blood can be collected using a syringe or pipette and transferred to a clean sterile storage tube that contains anticoagulant (EDTA), or by using a swab or piece of fabric to soak up the stain, which should be air dried to prevent the build up of microbial activity [4] Liquid blood can also be applied to FTA R paper that... periods and are either frozen directly or dried and then stored at −20 ◦ C for longer term storage Blood samples will normally be stored at between −20 and −70 ◦ C Buccal and blood samples collected using FTA R cards can be stored for years at room temperature Some items of evidence, like clothing, can be stored in a cool dry room; in temperate regions of the world DNA Figure 3.4 FTA cards can be used to. .. bases, adenine, guanine, thymine and cytosine, on the sugarphosphate backbone (Figure 2.2a) DNA normally exists as a double stranded molecule which adopts a helical arrangement – first described by Watson and Crick in 1953 [1] Each base is attracted to its complementary base: adenine always pairs with thymine and cytosine always pairs with guanine (Figure 2.2b) Organization of DNA into chromosomes Within . the analysis of DNA from archaeological samples and highly compromised human remains. He has acted as an expert witness andalso as a consultant for international humanitarian organisations and forensic. the biological and genetic analysis of samples, and ultimately presenting the results to a court of law. However, the trend in many larger organizations is for individuals to be An Introduction to Forensic. 19, 2007 15:52 An Introduction to Forensic Genetics i JWBK181-FM JWBK181/Goodwin July 19, 2007 15:52 ii JWBK181-FM JWBK181/Goodwin July 19, 2007 15:52 An Introduction to Forensic Genetics William